LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Entering its second year under program director Emma Petersen, Bellarmine University cross country will open its 2026 campaign Friday in the Stegemoller Screagle Twilight hosted by the University of Southern Indiana.

The 4k women's race is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET (7 CT) while the 6k men's race is scheduled to follow at 8:30 p.m.

BELLARMINE MEN
Bellarmine has a host of returners back from a 2025 squad that placed in the upper half (sixth of 12) of the ASUN Championship for the fifth straight season. That includes four of the five Knights who scored in the conference meet in senior Chase Austin (33rd), junior Salah Farah (35th), sophomore Jared Fairbanks (42nd) and sophomore Landen Fernandez (58th). Furthermore, senior Jimmy Dillabaugh, sophomore Ian Baker, junior Sherjeel Khan and junior Jack Ballard also competed at the ASUN meet.

Farah, Dillabaugh and Fairbanks were among the Knights' scorers at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championship. Austin is ranked ninth on the program's 8k performance list, Farah is 12th and Fairbanks is 17th. Austin and Farah have both posted all-time Top 50 marks in the 8k.

Senior Nate Wheatley, juniors Forrest Gago, Ben Hunter and Malcolm Robertson, and sophomores Buzz Christensen, Dax Noe and Caleb Turner are back as well.

Bellarmine's four newcomers are all true freshmen in Henry Kiser, William McCullough, Rick Mshindi and Haydon Spears.

BELLARMINE WOMEN
In stark contrast to the men, Bellarmine's 2026 women's squad is largely comprised of newcomers. The Knights do possess four returners in senior Molly Moore and juniors Ginger Atzinger, Shaianne Overall and Katie Schweigardt. Atzinger placed second on the team and Moore was also a scorer at the 2025 ASUN Championship.

Kynzlei Bassett (from Purdue University Fort Wayne), Camille Ludwig (from North Alabama) and Evelyn Pazienza, who was a Division I soccer player before transitioning to XC/TF, are graduate students. The true freshmen include Georgia Atzinger, Gianna Ferreri, Carmen Guerrero, Helen Schafer and Anniston Sewell.

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