Men's Cross Country | 8/31/2026 2:00:00 PM
(St. George, Utah - Aug. 31, 2026) - The Trailblazer men's and women's cross country teams open the 2026 season on Wednesday afternoon at the NAU George Kyte Classic in Flagstaff.
Who | NAU George Kyte Classic
When | Wednesday, Sept. 2 – Men's 4.5 Miles - 5:15 p.m. MT | Women's 2.5 Miles - 6 p.m. MT
Where | Buffalo Park - Flagstaff, Ariz.
Social Media | Instagram +
Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers
PARTICIPATING TEAMS
Northern Arizona, Utah Tech, Grand Canyon, Embry-Riddle (Ariz.)
TEAMS IN THE REGIONAL & NATIONAL RANKINGS (released on Tuesday)
- Men
- Northern Arizona is ranked No. 3 in the Mountain Region.
- Women
- Northern Arizona is ranked No. 3 in the Mountain Region.
GLANCE AT 2025 SLATE
For the sixth straight season as members of Division I, the Trailblazers will compete in four regular season meets.
After this week's trip to Arizona, the Trailblazers will make a trip to California to compete in the UC Riverside Invitational on Sept. 19 at the UCR AG OPS Course.
The month of October gets underway at the Southern Utah Color Country Invitational in Cedar City on Oct. 3 before the regular season closes out at the Under Armour Pre-National Invitational hosted by Indiana State in Terre Haute on Oct. 16.
The Big Sky Championships are set for Oct. 30 back in Flagstaff at Buffalo Park with the postseason continuing at the NCAA West Regional Championships in Sacramento on Nov. 13.
The NCAA Championships are set for Nov. 21 returning to Terre Haute to run on the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.
LOOK AT THE 2026 ROSTER
The Trailblazer men's squad brings back eight returners while welcoming six newcomers this season.
Five seniors lead the way with fifth-year
Dennis Speaks joined by
Ryan Hatch,
Aiden Hardy,
Collin Manning and newcomer
Joey Hartnett from Iowa Western CC. Hatch was the Trailblazers' top finisher in all six meets, including a 24th-place finish at the WAC Championships.
Four juniors are highlighted by three newcomers in
Carter Day (Snow College),
Brady Eager (Paradise Valley CC) &
Corbin Pyle (Mesa CC) and the newcomer trio is joined by returner
Tyler Mullins.
Three sophomore returners include
Carter Frost,
Payton Wilkins and
Mordechai Yadegar along with newcomer
Brett Bailey from Snow College. A lone freshman rounds out the newcomers in
Benjamin Fernandez from Madera, Calif.
On the women's side, the Trailblazers bring back nine returners and welcome seven newcomers.
Five seniors return led by fifth-year senior
Makayla Pitcher, who was the top finisher for the Trailblazers at the WAC Championships & NCAA West Regional Championships, along with
Adri Bird,
Averie Perriton,
Charly Murie &
Erin McKinnon.
Four juniors are highlighted in three returners who all ran in all six races last season in
Makayla Boulton,
Hailee Phillips &
Kambrie Wilkinson along with newcomer
Lucy Melzer from Mesa CC in Arizona.
Three sophomores include a pair of newcomers in
Maddie Embley (Utah State) &
Reese Moss (Snow College) along with returner
Natalie Roberts.
The four freshmen newcomers all hail from the high school ranks in
Talia Anderson (Saratoga Springs, Utah),
Camryn Delancey (Gilbert, Ariz.),
Ashlynn Lainhartt (Mapleton, Utah) &
Maya Parker (Saratoga Springs, Utah).
TRAILBLAZER MEN PICKED SEVENTH, WOMEN EIGHT IN PRESEASON BIG SKY COACHES' POLL
The Trailblazer women's team was selected seventh and the men were picked eighth in the Big Sky preseason coaches' poll released on Aug. 20.
With the Trailblazers being one of three teams on each side to earn at least one first-place vote, the women's team garnered 60 points while the men's team registered 48 points.
Northern Arizona, who has won both the men's & women's Big Sky cross country championships in each of the last five seasons, was selected first on both sides followed by Montana State, Weber State & Southern Utah in the two through four spots on both the men's and women's sides.
2025 IN REVIEW
The Trailblazers are coming off a fifth-place finish for the women at the WAC Championships while the men's team took seventh.
On the women's side, all eight Trailblazers from the WAC Championships return led by top 30 finishes by Pitcher, Bird, Perriton & Phillips.
Boulton, Wilkinson, Roberts & Murie also competed at the WAC Championships with Pitcher led the way at the NCAA West Regional Championships.
On the men's side, Hatch was joined by Yadegar, Manning & Hardy at the WAC Championships while Hatch, Yadegar & Manning all competed at the NCAA West Regional Championships.
The women finished second as a team at both the NAU George Kyte Classic & SUU Color Country Invite and third at the UCR Highlander Invite while the men were third at the SUU Color Country Invite and fourth at the NAU George Kyte Classic.
GLANCE BACK AT THE 2025 NAU GEORGE KYTE CLASSIC
For the third time in the Trailblazers' seven seasons in Division I, Utah Tech will compete at the NAU George Kyte Classic making their second straight trip to Flagstaff after also opening the season at NAU in 2025.
Hatch was the men's top finisher coming in ninth clocking a time of 23:01.1 in the 4.5 mile race while Perriton was the women's top finisher placing 10th with a time of 15:59.8 in the 2.5 mile race.
Manning and Mordechai also posted top 25 finishes on the men's side and Murie, Pitcher, McKinnon, Wilkinson, Bird & Phillips all came in top 25 on the women's side.
JOSH THOMPSON NAMED DIRECTOR OF CROSS COUNTRY AND TRACK & FIELD
Entering his third season at Utah Tech, Josh Thompson will oversee both the men's & women's cross country teams as well the women's track & field and the new men's track & field program in 2026-27.
The men's track & field program will begin competition in distance events during the 2026-27 indoor and outdoor seasons.
A former collegiate distance runner at Oklahoma State, Thompson won five individual Big 12 titles, qualifying for the NCAA Championships five times. In February 2016, Thompson became the first native Nevadan to run a mile in under four minutes, posting a time of 3:58.33 at the Husky Classic before going on to take fourth at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
After his collegiate career, Thompson signed a professional contract with Nike and joined the Bowerman Track Club in Portland, Oregon. Over his seven-year professional career, Thompson has competed in two World Championships and was a World Finalist in both the 2022 Indoor World 1,500 meters in Serbia and the 2022 Outdoor World 1,500 meters in Eugene, Ore.
In August 2025, Thompson competed at the USA Track and Field Championships in the 1500 meters, clocking a time of 3:52.04 in Eugene.
UP NEXT
The Trailblazers are back in action at the UC Riverside Invitational on Sept. 19.
