{"id":758144,"date":"2026-07-22T03:27:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T03:27:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/758144\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T03:27:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T03:27:20","slug":"when-does-the-2026-college-cross-country-season-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/758144\/","title":{"rendered":"When does the 2026 college cross country season start?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The leaves have yet to turn to fall colors, but it’s never too early to look ahead to the upcoming cross country season. After Oklahoma State won the men’s cross country title and NC State won the women’s cross country titles, the 2026 season looks to continue the excitement of distance running.<\/p>\n

You can find information on when the 2026 college cross country season starts here. This story will be updated if invitationals and dates are changed.<\/p>\n

When does the 2026 college cross country season start?<\/p>\n

The 2026 season is set to begin on Friday, September 4 with a litany of season-opening meets and invitationals.\u00a0Here are some of the invitationals currently scheduled.<\/p>\n

\tSeptember 4<\/p>\n

\t\tCovered Bridge Open | Host: Appalachian State
\n\t\tLehigh Invitational | Host: Lehigh
\n\t\tFriday Night Lights Elon Opener | Host: Elon
\n\t\tCSU Buccaneer Open | Host: Charleston Southern
\n\t\tEye Opener | Host: USC Upstate
\n\t\tGolden Eagle Invitational | Host: Tennessee Tech
\n\t\tFighting Illini Invitational | Host: Illinois
\n\t\tCyclone Opener | Host: Iowa State
\n\t\tFlorida Intercollegiate Invitational | Host: North Florida
\n\t\tProvidence Friar Invite | Host: Providence
\n\t\tWinrow Valparaiso Open | Host: Valparaiso
\n\t\tBadger Preview | Host: Wisconsin<\/p>\n

\tSeptember 5<\/p>\n

\t\tUCA Bear Invitational | Host: Central Arkansas
\n\t\tSpider Alumni Open | Host: Richmond
\n\t\tCowboy Preview | Host: Oklahoma State<\/p>\n

Some other notable invitationals to watch throughout the rest of the season can be found below:<\/p>\n

\tSeptember 11<\/p>\n

\t\tVirginia Invitational | Host: Virginia
\n\t\tSpartan Run | Host: Michigan State<\/p>\n

\tSeptember 18<\/p>\n

\t\tAdidas XC Challenge | Host: NC State
\n\t\tSouthern Showcase | Host: Jacksonville State
\n\t\tBilliken XC Invite | Host: Saint Louis
\n\t\tFlorida State XC Invitational | Host: Florida State
\n\t\tRoy Griak Invitational | Host: Minnesota<\/p>\n

\tSeptember 19<\/p>\n

\t\tJohn McNichols Invitational | Host: Indiana State<\/p>\n

\tSeptember 25<\/p>\n

\t\tGans Creek Classic | Host: Missouri
\n\t\tLoyola Lakefront Invitational | Host: Loyola-Chicago<\/p>\n

\tSeptember 26<\/p>\n

\t\tCowboy Jamboree | Host: Oklahoma State<\/p>\n

\tOctober 2<\/p>\n

\t\tJoe Piane Notre Dame Invite | Host: Notre Dame
\n\t\tPaul Short Run | Host: Lehigh
\n\t\tRichmond Invitational | Host: Richmond
\n\t\tFire Tower Project | Host: Appalachian State
\n\t\tGeorgia Tech Invitational | Host: Georgia Tech<\/p>\n

\tOctober 3<\/p>\n

\t\tLouisville Cross Country Classic | Host: Louisville<\/p>\n

\tOctober 9<\/p>\n

\t\tNuttycombe Invitational | Host: Wisconsin<\/p>\n

\tOctober 10<\/p>\n

\t\tNew England Championships | Location: Hopkinton, NH<\/p>\n

\tOctober 16<\/p>\n

\t\tPre-Nationals | Host: Indiana State
\n\t\tPanorama Farms Invitational | Host: Virginia
\n\t\tCrimson Classic | Host: Alabama
\n\t\tIC4A\/ECAC Championships | Location: New York, NY
\n\t\tPrinceton Fall Classic | Host: Princeton
\n\t\tBradley Pink Classic | Host: Bradley
\n\t\tArturo Barrios Invitational | Host: Texas A&M<\/p>\n

\tOctober 17<\/p>\n

\t\tUpstate Invitational | Host: USC Upstate
\n\t\tWeis-Crockett Invitational | Host: Oklahoma State<\/p>\n

NCAA XC:\u00a0Here’s how the cross country championships work<\/a><\/p>\n

Division I cross country postseason schedule<\/p>\n

Conference championship weekend in cross country for most schools will be from October 29-November 1. After that comes the NCAA meets. Here’s what you need to know.<\/p>\n

Regionals on\u00a0November 13, 2025<\/p>\n

\tGreat Lakes:\u00a0Michigan State (Forest Akers)
\n\tMid-Atlantic:\u00a0Lehigh (Goodman Campus Cross Country Course)
\n\tMidwest:\u00a0Iowa State (Iowa State Cross Country Course)
\n\tMountain:\u00a0New Mexico (North Golf Course)
\n\tNortheast:\u00a0Hofstra (Bethpage State Park)
\n\tSouth:\u00a0Florida State (Apalachee Regional Park)
\n\tSouth Central:\u00a0Texas A&M (Dale Watts \u201971 Cross Country Course)
\n\tSoutheast:\u00a0South Carolina Upstate (Roger Milliken Center)
\n\tWest:\u00a0Sacramento State (Arcade Creek Cross Country Course)<\/p>\n

National Championship on November 21, 2026<\/p>\n

\tHost:\u00a0Indiana State on\u00a0Nov. 21<\/p>\n

The national championship meet will be ran in Terre Haute, Indiana on November 21, 2026 at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course. This will mark the first time Indiana State has hosted a DI cross country national championship since 2019 and the 14th time overall.<\/p>\n

INDIVIDUAL CHAMPS:\u00a0Every DI cross country individual men’s and women’s champion all-time<\/a><\/p>\n

Oklahoma State and NC State took the DI cross country national titles during the 2025 season. Here’s a recent history of the cross country championship.<\/p>\n

\t\t\tYear
\n\t\t\tMen’s Champ
\n\t\t\tWomen’s Champ
\n\t\t\tLocation<\/p>\n

\t\t\t2025
\n\t\t\tOklahoma State
\n\t\t\tNC State
\n\t\t\tMissouri<\/p>\n

\t\t\t2024
\n\t\t\tBYU
\n\t\t\tBYU
\n\t\t\tWisconsin<\/p>\n

\t\t\t2023
\n\t\t\tOklahoma State
\n\t\t\tNC State
\n\t\t\tVirginia<\/p>\n

\t\t\t2022
\n\t\t\tNorthern Arizona
\n\t\t\tNC State
\n\t\t\tOklahoma State<\/p>\n

\t\t\t2021
\n\t\t\tNorthern Arizona
\n\t\t\tNC State
\n\t\t\tFlorida State<\/p>\n

\t\t\t2020
\n\t\t\tNorthern Arizona
\n\t\t\tBYU
\n\t\t\tOklahoma State<\/p>\n

\t\t\t2019
\n\t\t\tBYU
\n\t\t\tArkansas
\n\t\t\tIndiana State<\/p>\n

\t\t\t2018
\n\t\t\tNorthern Arizona
\n\t\t\tColorado
\n\t\t\tWisconsin<\/p>\n

REGIONALS:\u00a0Future regional championship sites<\/a><\/p>\n

Future XC national championship locations\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2027\u00a0Oklahoma State will host the Division I men’s and women’s cross country championships.<\/p>\n

Stan Becton joined NCAA.com in 2021 and has since served as a college football, FCS football, track and field, cross country and HBCU beat reporter. He has covered numerous NCAA championship events, including the FCS Championship, DI Track & Field Championships and Men’s Frozen Four. Additionally, he has covered the College Football Playoff and HBCU sporting events like the Celebration Bowl, MEAC\/SWAC Challenge and Legacy Classic. Stan graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, earning a degree in Professional Writing and playing football as a five-year letterman. You can follow him on Twitter @stan_becton<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.<\/p>\n

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2026 NCAA cross country national championships: Date, time, TV channel, history<\/p>\n

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 NCAA cross country championships.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n

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Cross Country Awards: The history of the USTFCCCA\u2019s Cross Country National Athlete of the Year<\/p>\n

The USTFCCCA\u2019s Cross Country National Athlete of the Year award is given to the most outstanding male and female NCAA cross country athletes. Here’s what to know about cross country’s highest honor.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n

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Here’s every Division I cross country individual men’s and women’s champion<\/p>\n

Every individual to win an NCAA Division men’s or women’s cross country national championship.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n