BLACKSBURG, Va. (Sept. 17, 2026) - The second race of the 2026 season has arrived for the ETSU cross country teams, with the Bucs making a familiar trip to Blacksburg for the Hokie Invitational at the Buford Meredith Course. The women's 6k begins at 6 p.m. with the men's 8k to follow at 6:30 p.m. Nine men and 10 women will compete in ETSU colors across the two races Friday night.

The women will look for a strong second race of 2026 after a promising start at the USC Upstate Eye Opener that earned Mackenzie Armstrong SoCon Women's Athlete of the Week with a personal best 18:43.7 to finish 16th in the 5k run. Deena Ludtke also made a strong return to cross country racing with an 18:52.0 in Spartanburg, and Madalyn Mahoney turned in a personal best with a 19:17.4. Last year's circuit was slightly short of the 6k distance for the women, and Eliza Everett ran a 23:48.9 on the 5.85k course last year while Madalyn Mahoney ran a 24:02.2, both finishing in the top 20. 

Jason Bowers won the 7.8k men's race in 2025 with a 22:31.1 race time, 29 seconds faster than the nearest competitor, but will not race this weekend. Garrett Hawkins ran a 23:58.0 last year on the 7.8k men's course to finish ninth in the event, the fastest time of ETSU's runners returning to Blacksburg after a successful 2025 run. Hawkins finished fifth two weeks ago in Spartanburg with a 25:19.4 in the 8k, and junior Hayden Waleski came home 10th with a personal best 25:38.7.

For more information on ETSU cross country, go to ETSUBucs.com.