Men's Cross Country | 9/4/2026 10:49:00 AM

LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's and women's cross country teams open the 2026 season on their home course Saturday. The annual Father Bede Invitational returns to B&D Acres in Tyrone, Pa., for the fifth straight year.

The lineup of competitors includes runners from Bloomsburg, Christendom, Duquesne, Duquesne Club Track, Juniata and Pitt-Johnstown.

Last year, in the women's 4K event, Saint Francis placed second overall. Nina Connors and Rose Gaydos, who return to the team this season, both finished in the top 10.

Connors captured third place with a career-best time of 14:58.5. Now entering her junior season, Connors says her goal is to just be better than she was last year.

"I have put in a lot of miles and am hoping to see the work pay off," Connors said. "I am also excited to start this new chapter, grow closer with my teammates and enjoy the chance to compete in another conference this year."

On the men's side, Saint Francis will lean on experience as it enters its first season in the Presidents' Athletic Conference. The roster is small, but junior Collin Dreese says if they can stay healthy, he expects his squad to take big strides this year.

"The course at B&D Acres is one of the more difficult courses we race, in my opinion, because it has some difficult rolling hills, and doing the same loop three times makes it more mentally challenging," Dreese said.

The women's 4K race gets underway at 10:15 a.m., while the men will tackle the 6K at 11 a.m. The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place around 11:45 a.m.

Here is the address if you plan to attend:

B&D Acres
3121 Huntingdon Furnace Road
Tyrone, PA 16686

You can also follow live results at Gingerbread Timing.