Friday, September 18
Cary, N.C.
5:50 PM ET
Liberty University
at
adidas XC Challenge
Ryann Aycock (No. 127) will get to race in her hometown of Cary, N.C., Friday evening.
Adidas XC Challenge Awaits Flames on Friday
9/16/2026 1:30:00 PM | Cross Country
LYNCHBURG, Va. – For the third year in a row, the Liberty men's and women's cross country teams will race in the adidas XC Challenge, Friday evening at the WakeMed Cross Country Course in Cary, N.C.
The men's 6K will begin at 5:50 p.m., while the gun will go off for the women's 5K at 6:30.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
Live results will be provided by Flash Results.
Weather Report
Liberty will have its second straight hot weather meet to begin the 2026 campaign. Friday's forecast for Cary calls for a high in the low-90s and a chance of thunderstorms.
New-Look Flames
The Liberty men's team opened the 2026 campaign with a runner-up finish at the Eye Opener, Sept. 4 in Spartanburg, S.C. The Flames did so with six of their 10 competitors making their collegiate cross country debuts.
Freshmen Malachi Burnett (22nd place) and Eric Duncan (23rd) led the way for the Flames' newcomers, finishing second and third on the team in the 8K race.
10th Top 10
All-American Allie Zealand began her junior season with a ninth-place finish in the Eye Opener women's 5K, two weeks ago. It marked her 10th top-10 finish in 14 career cross country races as a Lady Flame.
Zealand has crossed the line inside the top 10 in seven of her last eight races on the grass, with the lone exception being her 21st-place effort at the 2025 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.
Both of Zealand's previous adidas XC Challenge appearances have seen her finish among the top 10, including a seventh-place showing in 2024 and fifth place a year ago.
On Friday, Zealand and the Lady Flames will be challenged by the host team, No. 1 NC State, along with No. 16 South Carolina.
Looking Back
The Liberty men's squad has performed well at the adidas XC Challenge each of the last two years, capturing the team title in 2024 and placing second to North Carolina in 2025.
This time around, the Flames' top competition could come from Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons are currently ranked No. 8 nationally and tops in the Southeast Region.
Up Next
For the first time since 2017, Liberty will take its full men's and women's squads to Bethlehem, Pa., for the 52nd Paul Short Run. The meet is slated for Oct. 2 at the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course.
The men's 6K will begin at 5:50 p.m., while the gun will go off for the women's 5K at 6:30.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
Live results will be provided by Flash Results.
Weather Report
Liberty will have its second straight hot weather meet to begin the 2026 campaign. Friday's forecast for Cary calls for a high in the low-90s and a chance of thunderstorms.
New-Look Flames
The Liberty men's team opened the 2026 campaign with a runner-up finish at the Eye Opener, Sept. 4 in Spartanburg, S.C. The Flames did so with six of their 10 competitors making their collegiate cross country debuts.
Freshmen Malachi Burnett (22nd place) and Eric Duncan (23rd) led the way for the Flames' newcomers, finishing second and third on the team in the 8K race.
10th Top 10
All-American Allie Zealand began her junior season with a ninth-place finish in the Eye Opener women's 5K, two weeks ago. It marked her 10th top-10 finish in 14 career cross country races as a Lady Flame.
Zealand has crossed the line inside the top 10 in seven of her last eight races on the grass, with the lone exception being her 21st-place effort at the 2025 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.
Both of Zealand's previous adidas XC Challenge appearances have seen her finish among the top 10, including a seventh-place showing in 2024 and fifth place a year ago.
On Friday, Zealand and the Lady Flames will be challenged by the host team, No. 1 NC State, along with No. 16 South Carolina.
Looking Back
The Liberty men's squad has performed well at the adidas XC Challenge each of the last two years, capturing the team title in 2024 and placing second to North Carolina in 2025.
This time around, the Flames' top competition could come from Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons are currently ranked No. 8 nationally and tops in the Southeast Region.
Up Next
For the first time since 2017, Liberty will take its full men's and women's squads to Bethlehem, Pa., for the 52nd Paul Short Run. The meet is slated for Oct. 2 at the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course.
Players Mentioned
Friday, June 05
Wednesday, June 03
Thursday, May 21
Thursday, January 29