WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – The Monmouth men's and women's cross-country teams are set to kick off the 2026 season on Friday in Bethpage, N.Y., embarking on a two-month journey before returning to Long Island on Oct. 31 for the CAA championships.
Head Coach Damon Godfrey returns 20 faces from last year's squads that finished fourth (women) and fifth (men) in the conference in 2025. Junior Krissy Sarnicola, who finished 10th at last year's CAA's and was earned All-CAA recognitions, highlights the returners for the women, joining junior Lana Hurwitz and sophomore Payton Campbell who each finished top 25 in the conference a season ago.
On the men's side, sophomore Michael Card, who finished 26th last season at the CAA Championships, highlights the returning group for Godfrey and crew.
The Hawks welcome 16 newcomers this season in Godfrey's second full freshman class.
The squad will compete in four regular season meets, beginning with tomorrow's Adelphi Invitational, before the conference meet on Halloween.
Following the opener on Long Island this weekend, Monmouth will run in the annual Spiked Shoe Classic on Sept. 11, competing in Penn State's yearly race for the third consecutive season.
After three weeks off, Monmouth heads to Lehigh for the Paul Short Run before racing in Princeton's Fall Classic on Oct. 16, the final meet before the conference championships. The Hawks raced in both competitions a season ago.
Following the CAA Championships on Long Island, those who qualify will head back to Bethlehem, Pa., for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Championships on Nov. 13.
