Cross Country ready to race its seven-meet 2026 schedule

Trojans pose for a photo before the 2025 Southern Showcase. Troy Athletics photo.

Troy’s cross country program is set to travel across Alabama and Florida during its 2026 campaign, beginning with four regular season meets before entering postseason competition.

The Trojans will open their season this weekend at the Jacksonville State Foothills Invitational in Oxford, Alabama. The women’s race will begin at 9 a.m., followed by the men’s race at 9:45 a.m.

Troy will have two weeks to prepare for the Falcon Classic in Montevallo on Friday, Sept. 18. That meet will give the runners their first evening competition of the season, with the women scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. and the men at 8:15 p.m.

The team will remain in Alabama the following week for the Azalea City Classic in Spanish Fort on Friday, Sept. 25. The women are scheduled to compete at 5:55 p.m., while the men will take the course at 6:20 p.m.

Troy’s final regular-season test will come on Thursday, Oct. 9, at the Florida State University Cross Country Invitational in Tallahassee, Florida. The meet will be held at Apalachee Regional Park, which will also serve as the site of the NCAA South Region Championship later in the season.

At the FSU Invitational, the men will compete first at 7:40 a.m., followed by the women at 8:20 a.m. The race will give the Trojans an opportunity to compete on the regional course before potentially returning to Tallahassee in November.

Postseason competition will begin on Friday, Oct. 30, with the Sun Belt Conference Championships at Graham Creek Nature Preserve in Foley, Alabama. The men’s championship race is set for 8:30 a.m., with the women’s race following at 9:15 a.m.

The conference meet will also mark Troy’s second consecutive championship appearance in Foley. During the 2025 Sun Belt Championships, the Troy men finished 10th, while the women placed 12th.

Athletes who advance beyond the conference championship will return to Apalachee Regional Park for the NCAA South Region Championship on Friday, Nov. 13.

The season will conclude with the NCAA Cross Country National Championships on Saturday, Nov. 21 at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Troy will enter the new campaign after sending Lane Watson and Keith Warner to the 2025 NCAA South Regional. The two represented the Trojan men in Tallahassee after leading the team throughout portions of the regular season.

The 2026 schedule does not include a home meet, but five of Troy’s first six competitions will take place within Alabama.