Emporia State cross country is gearing up for a five-race schedule in 2026. ESU will open the season for the ninth-straight year at Wichita State’s JK Gold Classic where the E-State men will run the 6K course and the Lady Hornets will attack the 5K route. ESU then heads to Butler County CC for the Ollie Isom Invite on September 11, their first trip to El Dorado in six years. ESU will have its first long races of the year with the men running 8K and the women running a 6K at the Gans Creek Classic hosted by Missouri. They then head to Mizzou’s Border War rivals for Pre-Nationals on Sunday, October 11 hosted by KU at Rim Rock Farm, the site of this year’s Division II National Championships. It will be ESU’s first run at Rim Rock since 2014. ESU wraps the regular season at the Pre-MIAA meet hosted by Missouri Western in St. Joseph, Mo. on October 24. The MIAA Championships are back in St. Joseph on November 7 with the NCAA Central Regional set for Sioux Falls, S. D. on November 21 and the national championships on December 4. For the second-straight year, ESU will not be hosting the ESU Invitational at Jones Park. Last year was the first time since 2020 that the Hornets had not held the event. Prior to that, E-State hadn’t missed hosting the event since 1981. Emporia State will prep for the season hosting an alumni run on Friday, August 28 at Champions Landing which will be free to the public to attend or run in.
Hornet Cross Country Schedule Released for 2026
ESU's Jaime Diaz leads the pack at the start of the ESU Invitational.
