FOLEY, Ala. – The 2026 Sun Belt Cross Country Championships will take place this Friday, October, 30, at the Graham Creek Nature Preserve in Foley, Ala. The men’s 8K race will begin at 8:32 a.m. CT and the women’s 5K race will begin at 9:15 a.m. CT.
Both championships will air live on ESPN+. Tyler Mayforth and Pat Greenwood will have the call. Live meet results will be available through XPRESS TIMING. Admission to the 2026 Sun Belt Cross Country Championships is free and open to the public.
This will mark the fifth consecutive year that the Sun Belt Cross Country Championships have taken place in Foley, Ala.
This will be the 42nd Sun Belt Women’s Cross Country Championship contested since the event began in 1985, while this year will mark the 49th Sun Belt Men’s Cross Country Championship, with the first coming in 1978.
The women’s 5K field will include the 13 Sun Belt Conference programs: App State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, James Madison, Louisiana, ULM, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, South Alabama, Southern Miss and Troy.
The men’s 8K field will include the nine Sun Belt Conference programs that sponsor the sport: App State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Louisiana, ULM, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, South Alabama and Troy.
SUN BELT CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS MEET INFORMATION
Date: Friday, October 30, 2026
Time: Men’s 8K (8:32 a.m. CT); Women’s 5K (9:15 a.m. CT); Awards Ceremony to follow
Location: Graham Creek Nature Preserve | Foley, Ala.
2025 Champions
Women: App State (77) | Abigail Parra, Texas State (16:52.1)
Men: App State (32) | Carlo Martinez-Jaramillo, Arkansas State (24:04.4)
Sun Belt Meet Records
Women (5K): Molly Jones, Coastal Carolina (2022) – 16:29.50
Men (8K): Kirami Yego, South Alabama (2022) – 22:55.90
2026 Sun Belt Men’s Cross Country Runners of the Week
Week 1 – Brady Keller, South Alabama
Week 2 – Matthew Maynard, Louisiana
Week 3 – Noah Martinson, App State
Week 4 – Matthew Maynard, Louisiana
Week 5 – Noah Martinson, App State
Week 6 – Riley Treadaway, Troy
Week 7 – Noah Martinson, App State
2026 Sun Belt Women’s Cross Country Runners of the Week
Week 1 – Rachael Withrow, Marshall
Week 2 – Rachael Withrow, Marshall
Week 3 – Tuva Sandberg, ULM
Week 4 – Isabelle Russell, Louisiana
Week 5 – Rachael Withrow, Marshall
Week 6 – Winny Kosgei, Troy
Week 7 – Rachael Withrow, Marshall