Dayton, Ohio - Franciscan men's and women's cross country teams will open its 2026 seasons Friday evening, racing in the Wright State Mike Baumer XC Classic at Fairborn Community Park. The meet will start at 6 p.m.

The teams will look to improve on last year's conference performances. Both teams finished third in the conference last season.

Players to Watch
Maxwell Bruns (So. Gilbert, Ariz. / Arete Prep) is back for a second season after an exceptional rookie campaign. Bruns earned Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) First Team honors for his fifth-place finish in the conference race. Seamus Sommers (Sr. Muskego, Wis. / Trinity Academy) will race for a fourth year, having earned All-PAC Second Team honors last season after a 12th place finish at conference.

On the women's side, Teresa Meli (Sr. Tallahassee, Fla. / Homeschooled) returns for her fourth season in Steubenville. She placed 16th in the conference championships last year, earning her Honorable Mention All-PAC honors. Emily Maag (Jr. Cleona, Pa. / Annville Cleona Secondary) additionally received Honorable Mention All-PAC last season.  She finished 18th in the same race.

New Faces
James Walters enters the 2026 season as his first year as head coach of both programs. Walters was associate head coach for both teams in 2025 and has served as head coach of the track and field teams since the spring 2025 season. He brings in eight first-years on the women's side, along with seven freshman on the men's team.

The Schedule
The Barons' 2026 schedule consists of nine meets. After the Mike Baumer XC Classic, the teams race at Bethany on Saturday, September 12. To round out the month of September, the squads will race at Cedarville on September 18th, before racing two meets on October 3rd at Louisville and Muskingum, The final tune-up before PAC Championships will be at Oberlin on October 17th. This year, the conference championship falls on October 31. The season concludes with the NCAA Regional meet on November 14th and the NCAA Championship meet on November 21.

Stay Connected 
Be sure to follow Franciscan University on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for the most in-depth coverage of Franciscan Athletics.