FAIRMONT, W. Va. - The 2026 Mountain East Conference Cross Country Championships will take place Saturday morning in Bethany, West Virginia. The MEC Men’s Championship 8K is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m., on the Bethany Cross Country Course located at the Bethany College Soccer and Equestrian Complex, with the MEC Women’s Championship 6K to follow at 10:30 a.m.
The awards ceremony, which will include presentations to the team champions, Runner of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Coach of the Year, is tentatively scheduled for 11:30 a.m., following the conclusion of both races.
The MEC All-Conference teams, consisting of 10 first-team selections and 10 second-team selections for both the men's and women's teams, will also be announced.
The price of admission is $10 per vehicle (cash only).
Both races will be streamed live on MountainEast.tv, with Jack Withrow, Adam Zundell, and Rickie Moore providing coverage of the 2026 MEC Cross Country Championships.
WOMEN’S PREVIEW
The 2026 MEC Women's Cross Country Championship will feature three of the top five finishers from last year's race, including Point Park's 2025 MEC Runner of the Year and individual champion, redshirt junior Cassondra O'Connor. Glenville State will also return its third and fifth-place finishers from 2025, senior Natalie Barr and junior Jenna Barnett, respectively.
O'Connor swept the individual title and Runner of the Year honors last season after completing the race in 22:28.67, finishing more than 17 seconds ahead of the runner-up. This season, O'Connor recorded a sixth-place finish in the 6K at the Atlantic Region Preview on Sept. 25 with a time of 23:06.4. She also posted a personal-best time of 21:44.2 at Lock Haven's Go Fast River Run on Oct. 24.
Barr has been named MEC Women's Runner of the Week twice this season after recording first and third-place finishes at the Atlantic Region Preview and Carnegie Mellon Invitational on Sept. 28 and Oct. 12, respectively. Additionally, she claimed first place at the Go Fast River Run with a career-best 6K time of 20:56.5.
Barnett posted her best 6K time of the season at the Go Fast River Run, finishing in 23:35.2. Last season, she earned All-MEC First Team honors after finishing fifth overall with a time of 23:17.67.
Other contenders include Charleston junior Amanda Ferrante, a 2025 All-MEC First Team selection who finished sixth at last year's championship. Concord sophomore Violet Wall, who was named MEC Women's Runner of the Week on Sept. 7, also returns after finishing ninth at last year's championship. Additionally, Fairmont State junior Megan Mitchell will look to make an impact for the Falcons after earning MEC Runner of the Week honors on Oct. 5, following a fourth-place finish at the Louisville Cross Country Classic.
Davis & Elkins captured its second consecutive women's team championship in 2025, finishing with 32 points. Point Park placed second with 88 points, while Charleston finished third with 103 points.
MEN’S PREVIEW
Charleston will look to defend its championship title after capturing the 2025 MEC Men's Cross Country Championship with a team total 27 points. UC's Harry Witt was named the 2025 MEC Men's Freshman of the Year after finishing third overall with a time of 26:13.16, earning All-MEC First Team honors a year ago.
Charleston returns to the championship with Witt and senior Jules Geoffrey-Remot, who finished fourth overall last season with a time of 26:26.38 and earned All-MEC First Team honors. Additionally, freshman Mathew Meli, who has been named MEC Men's Runner of the Week three times this season, looks to make an impact at the championship. Meli posted a season-best 8K time of 23:32.9 at the UAH Chargers Invitational and finished first in the 5K at the Thundering Herd Invitational on Sept. 4.
Concord senior Braden Ward also returns after finishing fifth overall at last year's championship, earning All-MEC First Team honors with a time of 26:30.83. Ward posted a season-best time of 24:50.7 at this year's UAH Chargers Invitational.
Other runners to watch include West Virginia Wesleyan senior Kent Niland, a 2025 All-MEC First Team selection who finished ninth at last year's championship. Glenville State junior Nick Pitchfork also returns after earning All-MEC First Team honors last season with a 10th-place finish.
Davis & Elkins finished as the runner-up behind Charleston at last year's championship with 47 team points. West Virginia Wesleyan placed third as a team with 103 points.