Troy University Athletics
Troy University
JSU Foothills Invitational
Cross Country Opens 2026 Season at JSU Foothills Invitational
9/3/2026 10:00:00 AM | Cross Country, Cross Country (M), Cross Country (W)
TROY, Ala. – Troy cross country kicks off its 2026 season Friday at 8:30 a.m. with the JSU Foothills Invitational at Choccolocco Park.
The Trojans are scheduled to open their season in Oxford at 8:30 a.m. Friday. The women's team features seven newcomers, including three freshmen – Addie Bazemore, Emma Curry and Abby Jepkemboi – and four transfers – Kynley Albright, Chloe Amburgey, Winny Kosgei and Pheline Mining. Meanwhile, the men's side includes four newcomers: Aaiden Badders, Eli Beall, Mason Marello, and Brice Wilson.
We're looking forward to kicking off the season at JSU and really seeing where we are early in the year, head coach Brian Cunningham said. We have a solid mix of newcomers and returners to Troy. I'm excited to see, both individually and collectively as a team, how some strong early workouts translate in the first race of the season as we build towards the Sun Belt Conference meet.
Meet Information
What: JSU Foothills Invitational
Where: Oxford, Ala. – Choccolocco Park
When: Friday, Sept. 4 – 8:30 a.m. (Women) / 9 a.m. (Men)
Lineup
Women (5K): Abby Jepkemboi, Winny Kosgei, Pheline Mining, Giulianna Rivero, Kady Schwietz, Lucy Turley, Haley Wilson
Men (5K): Caden Blackman, Pierre Boerkey, Patterson Graham, Bennett Phillips, Riley Treadaway, Keith Warner, Lane Watson
Revisiting Oxford
At last year's JSU Foothills Invitational, both Troy squads earned top 10 finishes. The women finished sixth overall out of 21 teams, while the men finished fifth overall out of 20 teams. Individually, former Trojan Makenna Calbert scored a top 20 finish with a time of 18:38.10 for a team-best finish for the women. Of the returners, Haley Wilson clocked in a personal best in the 5K at 19:38.48 for 48th.
On the men's side, both Caden Blackman and Lane Watson had top 20 performances, finishing in 12th and 19th place, respectively. Both claimed personal bests in the 5K with a 15:25.10 for Blackman and a 15:35.54 for Watson.
