Following a successful start to the season for both the men’s and women’s squads, the Gators are set to race in the John McNichols Invitational hosted by Indiana State on Saturday.
Both the men’s and women’s teams finished first in the Stan Sims XC Opener on Sept. 4, defeating Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State and Emory. Now, the Gators will travel to Terre Haute, Indiana, a strategic move as the NCAA Championships will be hosted on this exact course later on this season.
The NCAA Championships have been hosted in Terre Haute 13 times, with the latest being in 2019. While Florida has never won a national championship on this course, they look to change that this year.
Last season, the women finished fifth at the NCAA Championships and won their eighth SEC Championship. The men were unable to make an appearance in the NCAA championships as they finished seventh at the NCAA South Regional Championships.
Earlier this month, both the men’s and women’s squads were ranked in the preseason poll with the women at No. 14 and the men at No. 21. In the SEC preseason poll, the women were picked to finish second while the men were slotted at third.
Saturday, the Gators will compete against over 40 other programs. The men will race against 11 ranked teams while the women will race against five ranked teams. While the competition is harsh, Florida has proven to be an aggressive team with standout runners such as Isobelle Jones and 2025 All-American Kelvin Cheruiyot.
In the first meet this season, Jones won the 5,000-meter race. Although Cheruiyot has not yet raced this season, last year he was named the 2025 SEC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year along with earning the title of SEC Freshman of the Year.
Both teams will race nine athletes Saturday, with the women’s race starting at 8:30 a.m. and the men’s race set to begin at 9:05 a.m.
Contact Katie Mosley at kmosley@alligator.org. Follow her on X @kati3mosle7.
Katie Mosley is a freshman journalism sports & media major in her first semester at The Alligator. She currently serves as the Fall 2026 cross country reporter. In her free time, Katie enjoys watching her favorite sports teams such as the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, Kansas City Chiefs or Liverpool F.C. Katie also takes pleasure in hiking, kayaking and canoeing. One of her favorite traditions is going hiking in the Ozarks every summer.
