Saturday, October 31
Huntsville, Ala.
10:00 AM ET/9:00 AM CT
Liberty University
at
Conference USA Championships
(L-R): Returning All-CUSA performers Ethan Pedersen, Ava Gordon, Edwin Kiprop, Ryann Aycock, Andrew Schultz and Allie Zealand lead Liberty into Saturday's CUSA Cross Country Championships.
10/29/2026 1:31:00 PM | Cross Country
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Liberty men's and women's squads are heading to Huntsville, Ala., on Saturday for the 2026 CUSA Cross Country Championships. For the second year in a row, the races will be contested at John Hunt Park.
The women's 6K will get things started at 10 a.m. Eastern, when the Lady Flames will shoot for their third consecutive CUSA title. Meanwhile, the gun will go off for the men's 8K at 11 a.m. Eastern.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
Saturday's races and the awards ceremony will air live on ESPN+.
Live results will also be available, courtesy of Xpress Timing.
Weather Report
Saturday morning's weather forecast for Huntsville features cloudy skies but warm conditions, with morning temperatures in the mid to uppper 60s.
About the Course
John Hunt Park will play host to the CUSA Cross Country Championships for the second year in a row, and the meet is slated to return to the course in 2028 as well.
The venue has traditionally yielded fast times, especially for the Lady Flames. Last season, Allie Zealand's winning women's 6K time of 19:53.0 was the second fastest in meet history. Fellow current Lady Flames Rachel Hill (20:51.9), Ryann Aycock (20:54.3), Kate Loescher (20:55.2) and Mackenzie Babcock (20:57.7) all recorded career-best 6K clockings during the 2025 CUSA meet in Huntsville.
Liberty's final ASUN Cross Country Championships appearance (2022) also took place at John Hunt Park. That day, the Lady Flames' Calli Doan won the women's 5K title in a meet-record 16:21.0 while current Liberty standout Ava Gordon raced to ASUN Freshman of the Year honors.
Women's Team Preview
The Liberty women's team has raced to back-to-back CUSA team titles, winning by the two largest margins in meet history (66 points in 2024 and 64 points in 2025).
Eight Lady Flames placed among the top 21 a year ago, and five of them are back in 2026 including individual champion Allie Zealand, Rachel Hill (14th place), Ryann Aycock (16th), Kate Loescher (18th) and Mackenzie Babcock (21st). Liberty's lineup also features a pair of All-CUSA performers from 2024 in Ava Gordon (ninth) and Molly Lashley (13th).
As a result, Liberty appears well positioned to battle for its third consecutive conference championship. The Lady Flames have not captured three straight women's cross country conference crowns since claiming five Mason-Dixon Conference titles in succession between 1985-89.
The last CUSA women's team to win three years in a row was Middle Tennessee (2019-21).
The Lady Flames have run well this fall, headlined by their first-ever team title at the Paul Short Run, Oct. 2 in Bethlehem, Pa.
As a result, Liberty heads to Huntsville with a No. 13 ranking within the tough Southeast Region. The Lady Flames are one of five regionally ranked CUSA women's squads, joining 2025 runner-up New Mexico State (No. 12 in Mountain Region), Middle Tennessee (No. 10 in South Region), Jacksonville State (No. 15 in South Region) and Delaware (No. 14 in Mid-Atlantic Region).
Middle Tennessee finished only sixth at this meet a year ago. However, the Blue Raiders have reloaded and appear poised to battle for their sixth CUSA title in program history on Saturday.
New Mexico State has always been in the mix during its time as a CUSA member, placing third in 2023, fourth in 2024 and second last season.
Women's Individual Preview
Liberty's Allie Zealand was dominant at the 2025 CUSA Cross Country Championships, winning the women's 6K by nearly 30 seconds in 19:53.0, the second fastest time in meet history. It marked the first triumph of Zealand's collegiate cross country career and is still her lone first-place finish to date.
On Saturday, she will attempt to become the sixth back-to-back women's champion all-time at this meet. The list includes Tulane's Hanne Lyngstad (1998 and 1999), TCU's Mary Kinyanjui (2003 and 2004), UTEP's Risper Kimaiyo (2009 and 2010), Rice's Cali Roper (2014 and 2015) and Rice's Grace Forbes (2020 and 2021).
Four previous Lady Flames have raced to consecutive women's cross country individual titles at the Division I level, beginning with Zealand's mother and coach (Heather Sagan Zealand – Big South in 2000 and 2001). Liberty's repeat champions also include Jennifer Klugh (Big South in 2010, 2011 and 2012), Adelyn Fairley (ASUN in 2019 and spring 2021) and Calli Doan (ASUN in fall 2021 and 2022).
Zealand earned All-America honors in all three of her sports last year as a sophomore, placing 21st at the 2025 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship, fifth in the 3K at the 2026 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships and 16th in the 1,500 at the 2026 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
She has been Liberty's top finisher in each of her first three races this fall, coming in ninth at the Eye Opener, fourth at the Paul Short Run and 15th at the Under Armour Pre-National Invitational. Zealand was tabbed CUSA Women's Runner of the Week on Oct. 6 for the sixth time in her career.
Fifth-year teammate Ava Gordon also hopes to run near the front on Saturday. She has collected a pair of all-conference medals for cross country, placing seventh at the 2022 ASUN Cross Country Championships and ninth at the 2024 CUSA Cross Country Championships. Gordon also displayed her championship mettle in May, outdueling Middle Tennessee's Faith Nyathi to win the women's 5K at the 2026 CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Speaking of Middle Tennessee, 2024 CUSA women's 6K champion Odilia Jepchumba was the fifth Blue Raider to cross the finish line at the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invite on Sept. 25, speaking to her team's impressive talent.
Middle Tennessee newcomers Evalyn Wambui and Elizabeth Magoma have both finished inside the top 10 in all of their races this fall, stamping themselves as contenders to become the third different Blue Raider to race to the CUSA women's 6K individual crown in the last four years.
Jacksonville State freshman Mercy Sergon has won each of her last two races (FSU XC Invitational and Kennemer Classic) in dominating fashion and also figures to contend in Huntsville. Sergon placed a CUSA-best 17th at the Southern Showcase, Sept. 18 at John Hunt Park.
New Mexico State's Nia Allison clocked a program-record 19:57.5 6K in her last outing at the Arturo Barrios Invitational. She also notched an impressive victory in the CUSA women's steeplechase final in May.
Men's Team Preview
Liberty and Middle Tennessee have claimed the top two men's positions at each of the Flames' first three CUSA Cross Country Championships appearances. The Blue Raiders' titles in 2023 and 2025 sandwiched Liberty's crown in 2024.
If the Flames hope to continue the pattern on Saturday by claiming a conference championship trophy, they will need big performances from their four returning All-CUSA performers from 2025's meet in Huntsville (Andrew Schultz – sixth place, Edwin Kiprop – 10th, Ethan Pedersen – 11th and Tristian Merchant – 21st.)
The Flames have finished either first or second at each of their last 23 conference cross country championships, beginning with the 2003 Big South meet and spanning three leagues (Big South, ASUN and CUSA).
Middle Tennessee has been victorious in every odd year for the last nine seasons (2017, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025). On Saturday, the Blue Raiders will aim for the first back-to-back CUSA men's cross country titles since 2015 and 2016 (UTEP). A Middle Tennessee victory would be their sixth CUSA men's cross country crown all-time, matching UTEP for the most in meet history.
Liberty has been ranked in the Southeast Region for most of the season but heads to Huntsville just outside the region's top 15 squads. Middle Tennessee (No. 10 in South Region), Jacksonville State (No. 12 in South Region) and New Mexico State (No. 14 in Mountain Region) all boast regional rankings.
Jacksonville State, which has posted third-place showings at this meet each of the past two years, has been bolstered by the addition of transfers Shadrack Kipkurgat and Linus Chepkochei this fall.
Men's Individual Preview
Andrew Schultz was Liberty's top finisher at the 2025 CUSA Cross Country Championships, placing sixth. That result catapulted him into a strong junior season where he has served as the Flames' No. 1 runner in all but one race this fall.
Meanwhile, Tristian Merchant owns the Flames' top CUSA men's cross country finish during the team's three previous appearances, thanks to his third-place showing for the 2024 conference championship team.
Schultz, Merchant and Ethan Pedersen all have a chance to earn their third career All-CUSA cross country medals on Saturday. Only Nicholas Kiprotich has previously accomplished that feat for the Flames.
Malachi Burnett headlines Liberty's strong group of freshmen, and the Georgia native was tabbed CUSA Men's Freshman of the Week on October 6. Liberty's last rookie to earn his conference's freshman of the year recognition was Jacob Hess at the 2022 ASUN Cross Country Championships, contested in Huntsville.
Azaria Kirwa was Liberty's most recent men's cross country individual conference champion, racing to victory at the 2018 ASUN meet.
Speaking of individual champions, Middle Tennessee's Allan Kiplagat has taken top honors at both the 2024 and 2025 CUSA Cross Country Championships. The 2024 All-American will attempt to become the first CUSA men's cross country runner to win three years in a row since UTEP's Anthony Rotich took four consecutive titles between 2012 and 2015.
Teammate Moses Lekokei, last year's ninth-place finisher, will look to build upon his track success. He won all four of his CUSA races on the oval earlier this year, including the indoor 3K and 5K and the outdoor 5K and 10K.
Shadrack Kipkurgat placed second to Lekokei in the outdoor 5K while representing Western Kentucky. He has since transferred to Jacksonville State, making an immediate impact during his first collegiate cross country campaign. Kipkurgat placed a CUSA-best seventh at the Southern Showcase, Sept. 18 at John Hunt Park, before claiming back-to-back victories at the FSU XC Invitational and Kennemer Classic.
Up Next
Liberty will compete at the NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Championships on Nov. 13. The meet, which will determine the team and individual qualifiers for the 2026 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, will take place at Milliken Research Park in Spartanburg, S.C.
The women's 6K will get things started at 10 a.m. Eastern, when the Lady Flames will shoot for their third consecutive CUSA title. Meanwhile, the gun will go off for the men's 8K at 11 a.m. Eastern.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
Saturday's races and the awards ceremony will air live on ESPN+.
Live results will also be available, courtesy of Xpress Timing.
Weather Report
Saturday morning's weather forecast for Huntsville features cloudy skies but warm conditions, with morning temperatures in the mid to uppper 60s.
About the Course
John Hunt Park will play host to the CUSA Cross Country Championships for the second year in a row, and the meet is slated to return to the course in 2028 as well.
The venue has traditionally yielded fast times, especially for the Lady Flames. Last season, Allie Zealand's winning women's 6K time of 19:53.0 was the second fastest in meet history. Fellow current Lady Flames Rachel Hill (20:51.9), Ryann Aycock (20:54.3), Kate Loescher (20:55.2) and Mackenzie Babcock (20:57.7) all recorded career-best 6K clockings during the 2025 CUSA meet in Huntsville.
Liberty's final ASUN Cross Country Championships appearance (2022) also took place at John Hunt Park. That day, the Lady Flames' Calli Doan won the women's 5K title in a meet-record 16:21.0 while current Liberty standout Ava Gordon raced to ASUN Freshman of the Year honors.
Women's Team Preview
The Liberty women's team has raced to back-to-back CUSA team titles, winning by the two largest margins in meet history (66 points in 2024 and 64 points in 2025).
Eight Lady Flames placed among the top 21 a year ago, and five of them are back in 2026 including individual champion Allie Zealand, Rachel Hill (14th place), Ryann Aycock (16th), Kate Loescher (18th) and Mackenzie Babcock (21st). Liberty's lineup also features a pair of All-CUSA performers from 2024 in Ava Gordon (ninth) and Molly Lashley (13th).
As a result, Liberty appears well positioned to battle for its third consecutive conference championship. The Lady Flames have not captured three straight women's cross country conference crowns since claiming five Mason-Dixon Conference titles in succession between 1985-89.
The last CUSA women's team to win three years in a row was Middle Tennessee (2019-21).
The Lady Flames have run well this fall, headlined by their first-ever team title at the Paul Short Run, Oct. 2 in Bethlehem, Pa.
As a result, Liberty heads to Huntsville with a No. 13 ranking within the tough Southeast Region. The Lady Flames are one of five regionally ranked CUSA women's squads, joining 2025 runner-up New Mexico State (No. 12 in Mountain Region), Middle Tennessee (No. 10 in South Region), Jacksonville State (No. 15 in South Region) and Delaware (No. 14 in Mid-Atlantic Region).
Middle Tennessee finished only sixth at this meet a year ago. However, the Blue Raiders have reloaded and appear poised to battle for their sixth CUSA title in program history on Saturday.
New Mexico State has always been in the mix during its time as a CUSA member, placing third in 2023, fourth in 2024 and second last season.
Women's Individual Preview
Liberty's Allie Zealand was dominant at the 2025 CUSA Cross Country Championships, winning the women's 6K by nearly 30 seconds in 19:53.0, the second fastest time in meet history. It marked the first triumph of Zealand's collegiate cross country career and is still her lone first-place finish to date.
On Saturday, she will attempt to become the sixth back-to-back women's champion all-time at this meet. The list includes Tulane's Hanne Lyngstad (1998 and 1999), TCU's Mary Kinyanjui (2003 and 2004), UTEP's Risper Kimaiyo (2009 and 2010), Rice's Cali Roper (2014 and 2015) and Rice's Grace Forbes (2020 and 2021).
Four previous Lady Flames have raced to consecutive women's cross country individual titles at the Division I level, beginning with Zealand's mother and coach (Heather Sagan Zealand – Big South in 2000 and 2001). Liberty's repeat champions also include Jennifer Klugh (Big South in 2010, 2011 and 2012), Adelyn Fairley (ASUN in 2019 and spring 2021) and Calli Doan (ASUN in fall 2021 and 2022).
Zealand earned All-America honors in all three of her sports last year as a sophomore, placing 21st at the 2025 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship, fifth in the 3K at the 2026 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships and 16th in the 1,500 at the 2026 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
She has been Liberty's top finisher in each of her first three races this fall, coming in ninth at the Eye Opener, fourth at the Paul Short Run and 15th at the Under Armour Pre-National Invitational. Zealand was tabbed CUSA Women's Runner of the Week on Oct. 6 for the sixth time in her career.
Fifth-year teammate Ava Gordon also hopes to run near the front on Saturday. She has collected a pair of all-conference medals for cross country, placing seventh at the 2022 ASUN Cross Country Championships and ninth at the 2024 CUSA Cross Country Championships. Gordon also displayed her championship mettle in May, outdueling Middle Tennessee's Faith Nyathi to win the women's 5K at the 2026 CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Speaking of Middle Tennessee, 2024 CUSA women's 6K champion Odilia Jepchumba was the fifth Blue Raider to cross the finish line at the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invite on Sept. 25, speaking to her team's impressive talent.
Middle Tennessee newcomers Evalyn Wambui and Elizabeth Magoma have both finished inside the top 10 in all of their races this fall, stamping themselves as contenders to become the third different Blue Raider to race to the CUSA women's 6K individual crown in the last four years.
Jacksonville State freshman Mercy Sergon has won each of her last two races (FSU XC Invitational and Kennemer Classic) in dominating fashion and also figures to contend in Huntsville. Sergon placed a CUSA-best 17th at the Southern Showcase, Sept. 18 at John Hunt Park.
New Mexico State's Nia Allison clocked a program-record 19:57.5 6K in her last outing at the Arturo Barrios Invitational. She also notched an impressive victory in the CUSA women's steeplechase final in May.
Men's Team Preview
Liberty and Middle Tennessee have claimed the top two men's positions at each of the Flames' first three CUSA Cross Country Championships appearances. The Blue Raiders' titles in 2023 and 2025 sandwiched Liberty's crown in 2024.
If the Flames hope to continue the pattern on Saturday by claiming a conference championship trophy, they will need big performances from their four returning All-CUSA performers from 2025's meet in Huntsville (Andrew Schultz – sixth place, Edwin Kiprop – 10th, Ethan Pedersen – 11th and Tristian Merchant – 21st.)
The Flames have finished either first or second at each of their last 23 conference cross country championships, beginning with the 2003 Big South meet and spanning three leagues (Big South, ASUN and CUSA).
Middle Tennessee has been victorious in every odd year for the last nine seasons (2017, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025). On Saturday, the Blue Raiders will aim for the first back-to-back CUSA men's cross country titles since 2015 and 2016 (UTEP). A Middle Tennessee victory would be their sixth CUSA men's cross country crown all-time, matching UTEP for the most in meet history.
Liberty has been ranked in the Southeast Region for most of the season but heads to Huntsville just outside the region's top 15 squads. Middle Tennessee (No. 10 in South Region), Jacksonville State (No. 12 in South Region) and New Mexico State (No. 14 in Mountain Region) all boast regional rankings.
Jacksonville State, which has posted third-place showings at this meet each of the past two years, has been bolstered by the addition of transfers Shadrack Kipkurgat and Linus Chepkochei this fall.
Men's Individual Preview
Andrew Schultz was Liberty's top finisher at the 2025 CUSA Cross Country Championships, placing sixth. That result catapulted him into a strong junior season where he has served as the Flames' No. 1 runner in all but one race this fall.
Meanwhile, Tristian Merchant owns the Flames' top CUSA men's cross country finish during the team's three previous appearances, thanks to his third-place showing for the 2024 conference championship team.
Schultz, Merchant and Ethan Pedersen all have a chance to earn their third career All-CUSA cross country medals on Saturday. Only Nicholas Kiprotich has previously accomplished that feat for the Flames.
Malachi Burnett headlines Liberty's strong group of freshmen, and the Georgia native was tabbed CUSA Men's Freshman of the Week on October 6. Liberty's last rookie to earn his conference's freshman of the year recognition was Jacob Hess at the 2022 ASUN Cross Country Championships, contested in Huntsville.
Azaria Kirwa was Liberty's most recent men's cross country individual conference champion, racing to victory at the 2018 ASUN meet.
Speaking of individual champions, Middle Tennessee's Allan Kiplagat has taken top honors at both the 2024 and 2025 CUSA Cross Country Championships. The 2024 All-American will attempt to become the first CUSA men's cross country runner to win three years in a row since UTEP's Anthony Rotich took four consecutive titles between 2012 and 2015.
Teammate Moses Lekokei, last year's ninth-place finisher, will look to build upon his track success. He won all four of his CUSA races on the oval earlier this year, including the indoor 3K and 5K and the outdoor 5K and 10K.
Shadrack Kipkurgat placed second to Lekokei in the outdoor 5K while representing Western Kentucky. He has since transferred to Jacksonville State, making an immediate impact during his first collegiate cross country campaign. Kipkurgat placed a CUSA-best seventh at the Southern Showcase, Sept. 18 at John Hunt Park, before claiming back-to-back victories at the FSU XC Invitational and Kennemer Classic.
Up Next
Liberty will compete at the NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Championships on Nov. 13. The meet, which will determine the team and individual qualifiers for the 2026 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, will take place at Milliken Research Park in Spartanburg, S.C.
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