ELON – The Elon men's and women's cross country teams will start the 2026 campaign with the annual Elon Opener on Friday night. Races will begin with the women's 4K at 8:15 p.m. ET, followed by the men's 6K at approximately 8:45 p.m. ET. Both races will be held at the Elon Cross Country Course on campus.
 
MEET INFORMATION

• Date & Time: Friday, Sept. 4 | 8:15 p.m. ET (Women) | 8:45 p.m. ET (Men)
• Location: Elon, North Carolina | Elon Cross Country Course
• Live Results: ElonPhoenix.com
• Course Map: ElonPhoenix.com

 
TEAMS IN COMPETITION
Campbell, Catawba, Coastal Carolina, Davidson, East Carolina, Elon, Gardner-Webb, High Point, Meredith*, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, Queens, Shaw, UNCG*, UNCW, USC Sumter, Winthrop
* women only
 
WHAT TO KNOW – ELON WOMEN

• The Elon women are the reigning CAA champions, having continued a run of dominance in the Coastal Athletic Association with their sixth conference title in the past seven years last October. The Phoenix showcased its depth with a program-record seven runners finishing among the top 15 individually in the 6K race to earn All-CAA accolades, led by individual champion Katie Blount, who returns for her final collegiate season after a record-setting 2025 campaign.
• Five of Elon's seven All-CAA finishers in 2025 are back this fall, including Blount, Abby Beville, Hannah Weber, Kate Buerger and Quinn Smith. Fellow returnees Amelia Summers and Madi Galindo were top-18 finishers at the CAA Championships last year.
• Beville won the individual 4K title at the Elon Opener last year with a time of 13:36.6 to help the women's squad claim the team title.
• The Elon women's roster includes six freshmen – Anne-Catherine Brown (Erie, Pennsylvania), Millie Gold (Cardiff, Wales), Brynne Gordon (Christchurch, New Zealand), Adriana Luking (Oxford, Ohio), Calli Rash (King George, Virginia) and Belle Reinders (Prior Lake, Minnesota).

 
WHAT TO KNOW – ELON MEN

• The Elon men's roster includes 12 returnees and six freshman newcomers. Highlighting the Phoenix's returning group is graduate Evan Taylor, who earned a spot on the All-CAA team in 2024 before racing just twice for Elon in 2025 due to injury. Three of Elon's top-five finishers at the 2025 CAA Championships are back as well, including sophomores Juan Pablo Castillo-Zima and Luke Chisum as well as junior Jack Kane.
• The Phoenix men placed seventh at the 2025 CAA Championships with four top-50 individual finishers, including Castillo-Zima (39th) and Kane (48th).
• Elon took sixth place in the Elon Opener 6K last year. Returners Chisum (18th, 18:56.1) and Max Bixler (26th, 19:19.0) placed second and third among the Phoenix in the race.
• Elon's six-man freshman class includes Garrison Franks (Oxford, Ohio), Ryan Frawley (Fort Lauderdale, Florida), Gavin Hasson (Redondo Beach, California), Tre Kelly (Millersville, Maryland), Wilson Scapellato (Charleston, South Carolina) and Kevin Steinman (Newport Beach, California).

 
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Elon cross country, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonXCTF) and Instagram (ElonXCTF).