Spartanburg, S.C. (Sept. 3, 2026) - The race to the SoCon Championship begins tomorrow.

The ETSU cross country teams begin their 2026 campaign on Friday, September 4, at the USC Upstate Eye Opener in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The races begin with the women's 5k at 7:00pm followed by the men's 8k at 7:40pm. The races have been pushed back 30 minutes from their originally scheduled start times to avoid extreme heat in the High Country.

EVENT: USC Upstate Eye Opener
DATE: September 4, 2026
VENUE: Roger Milliken Center (Spartanburg, SC)
LIVE TIMING: TimingInc.com

Eleven women and nine men are entered to represent the Buccaneers in the first race of the season. The women's entries include the return of Deena Ludtke to cross country after missing all of 2025. A 2024 SoCon All-Freshman pick, Ludtke had an eventful spring in track and field, setting the school record twice over in the 3000m steeplechase. Her best 5k time in cross country is an 18:04.6 at the 2024 SoCon Cross Country Championship, but she will aim to best that mark after running a 16:51.7 on the paved track in the spring outdoor season.

The women were picked seventh in the SoCon preseason poll released earlier on Thursday. They return just three runners who posted a time for ETSU last fall, led by Eliza Everett's 19:13.8 at the Louisville Classic on October 4, 2025. The incoming class includes Milligan transfers McKenzie Fitzgerald and Gracie Franklin, the latter of whom joined the track and field program during the winter, and Loyola Chicago transfer Mackenzie Armstrong. Five freshman join the program this year, with the top 5k time among them belonging to Paige Remillard, who ran an 18:21.6 at the TSSAA D1-AAA State Championship in 2025. Aubrey Jones competed in the CIF's three-mile cross country competition last year, setting a personal best time of 17:34.5 on the slightly shorter distance.

The men were picked second in the SoCon and return a more experienced squad, although reigning SoCon champion Jason Bowers and veteran Chance Underwood are not among the entries for the Eye Opener. The top time in the men's contingent headed to Spartanburg belongs to sophomore Garrett Hawkins, who posted an 8k time of 24:51.4 at the Southern Showcase on September 12, 2025, in Huntsville, Alabama. The Bucs welcome two freshmen this season, though Caden Costello is the lone first-year runner on the entry list this weekend. Costello ran a personal best 15:33.6 5k time as a senior at Station Camp High School and finished eighth in the TSSAA D1-AAA State Championship with a 15:54.9. He attempts the 8k for the first time in official competition this week.

This is the first of five scheduled races for both teams, with the next event being the Hokie Invitational on September 18 and culminating in the SoCon Cross Country Championship in Mill Springs, North Carolina, on Halloween.

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