Men's Cross Country | 7/2/2026 2:24:00 PM
LORETTO, Pa. — The Saint Francis men's and women's cross country teams return a strong core of veterans for the 2026 season. The Red Wolves open the year at home on Saturday, Sept. 5, hosting the annual Father Bede Invitational at B&D Acres in Tyrone, Pennsylvania.
"We are expecting at least five other teams and will open with a 4K for the women and a 6K for the men," head coach Doug Hoover said. "This will be a good test for all our athletes of the type of base they've built over the summer."
Two weeks later, the Red Wolves travel to Virginia, where University of Lynchburg will host the South Region Preview at Panorama Farms.
"This should be some great competition against schools we don't normally see on a great course. "It will also be our first time this season racing the full 6K and 8K distances."
On the first Saturday in October, Saint Francis heads to Kentucky for the Louisville Classic. Hoover's teams competed in the event a year ago. He says it will be a larger meet on another great course that will challenge his team.
The regular season concludes Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Aubrey Shenk Memorial in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, a course the Red Wolves know well.
"We've competed here numerous times over the last decade and feel it prepares us well for what we are going to see at the conference championship two weeks later," Hoover said. "By this point of the season, we should be getting pretty sharp."
The season then culminates with the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championships on Saturday, Oct. 31, in Canfield, Ohio. The meet will be contested on the Mill Creek MetroParks Farm course.
"We're certainly looking forward to competing in the PAC for the first time and are expecting great competition. The course is relatively new, but it's a championship-caliber venue that should be fun to compete on."
A Closer Look: 2026 Men's and Women's Saint Francis Cross Country
Top women returners from last year
Nina Connors and
Rosemary Gaydos - In the team's top-4 every race last year.
Isabella Leger - Scored for the team in both of last year's championship meets.
Savannah Hoover - Among the team's top-5 four times last year.
Mackenzie Hirt - In the team's top-7 five times last year, and scores once.
Other women returners
Ryan Wilson
Abigail Sheehan
Sarah Colman
Jordan Dean
Lauren Lomago
Women Newcomers
Ella Beynon
Morgan Davis
Madeline Friday
Megan Friday
Lilly Lehmbeck
Julia Miller
Top men returners from last year
Collin Dreese - In the team's top-3 every meet last year.
Micah Brydon and
Aaron Tressler - In the team's top-5 every meet last year.
Michelangelo Piccirillo - In the team's top-7 every meet, and top-5 three times.
Wyatt Foster - In the team's top-5 two times last year.
Other men returners
Chase Brenneman
Cael Konek
Nick Kupniewski
Ryan Young
