Mercer Cross Country Announces 2026 Schedule
7/30/2026 11:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
MACON, Ga. – Mercer head men's and women's cross-country coach and the Bears have announced the 2026 slate, which opens with a home meet at the Georgia Premier Cross Country Course.
The Bears will host the fifth-annual MGA/Julius Johnson Invitational on Sept. 5, before traveling to Huntsville, Ala. For the Southern Showcase at John Hunt Park on Sept. 18, hosted by Jacksonville State.
On Oct. 3, the Bears will hit the road again to compete at the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Ark. at Agri Park. The Orange and Black will wrap up their regular season at the Upstate Invite on Oct. 17 in Spartanburg, S.C.
The Bears will then prepare for the Southern Conference Championships on Oct. 31 at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Springs, N.C.
The NCAA South Regional Championships will take place on Nov. 13 at the Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla., followed by the NCAA National Championships on Nov. 21 at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, Ind.Â
Both squads are looking to build off last season's results, which saw the men finish in sixth place at the SoCon Championships for the second consecutive season with the women jumping up to second place after a fifth-place finish at the 2024 SoCon Championships.Â
The women's team's second place finish at the SoCon Championship and 14th place finish at the NCAA South Regionals were both the highest team placements in program history. The women's team also found themselves ranked in the top 15 in the South Region for the entirety of the 2025 season.
The men's team returns graduate student Jake Peters, who placed in the top three among the Bears for most of the season, and broke out for a 15th overall finish at the SoCon Championships, finishing first on the team. He set his season-best 8k at the Arturo Barrios Invitational, running 24:53.6, which was good enough to finish second on the Bears.
The women's team returns sophomore Mary Grace Parker, who was awarded First Team All-Conference honors and was named to the All-Freshman Team after finishing third at the SoCon Championships with a 17:14.2 5k. Parker earned SoCon Runner of the Week honors after finishing fourth at the Georgia Tech Invitational, running a 20:56.3 6k.
Nikki Harris is another key returner for the women's team. Harris was awarded Second Team All-Conference honors after placing tenth at the SoCon Championships with a 17:53.6 5k. She also ran a 17:14.35 at the Southern Showcase to finish 21st overall and first on the Orange and Black.
The Bears welcomed ten newcomers to the men's and women's cross-country teams this season. Seven new student-athletes will be joining the men's team while the women's team welcomes three newcomers. After a strong season last year and many new faces, the Bears will be looking to exceed expectations once again.Â
