Kerrville, Texas – The 2026 American Southwest Conference Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships will take place Saturday, October 31, at Kerrville-Schreiner Park, hosted by Schreiner University. The women’s 6K begins at 8:00 a.m., followed by the men’s 8K at 9:00 a.m. An awards presentation for both championships will follow the conclusion of the men’s race.
East Texas Baptist University, Hardin-Simmons University, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, McMurry University and Schreiner University will compete for the men’s and women’s titles.
Championship Website
Women’s Preview
East Texas Baptist was picked first in the 2026 Preseason Poll and looks to repeat as ASC champions after winning the 2025 title. Danna Requena leads the Tigers this season with a 6K time of 23:56.90 and was named a Runner to Watch ahead of the 2026 season alonog with teammate Sadie Loftis.
Mary Hardin-Baylor finished second last year and is led by Drea Gibson. Gibson was a preseason Runner to Watch and was named ASC Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week on October 7.
Hardin-Simmons’ Ruthie Valdez and Schreiner’s McKenna Emerson were also named ASC Runners of the Week this season. McMurry is led by first-year head coach Ryun Anderson.
Men’s Preview
Hardin-Simmons enters the championship as the 2026 preseason favorite after winning the first conference title in program history last year. The Cowboys return 2025 All-Conference selections Tate Strange and Nathan Oxte as 2025 Coach of the Year Isaac Hamilton looks to lead them to a second-ever title.
Mary Hardin-Baylor and East Texas Baptist finished second and third last year, and each returns at least one All-Conference selection from that race.
McMurry and Schreiner look to make waves, combining to hold the top three ASC 8K times this season. McMurry’s Isaac Gonzales owns the top mark at 25:30.70.
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