Lancers Unveil 2026 Cross Country Schedule
8/10/2026 11:48:00 AM | Cross Country & Track
RIVERSIDE – California Baptist cross country announced its 2026 schedule, a six-meet slate that marks the program's first season competing in the Big West.
The six-meet schedule includes competition across four states before the Lancers begin postseason action at the Big West Championship.
The Lancers will open the season Friday, Sept. 4, at the USF Invitational in San Francisco.
After a two-week break, the Lancers will split their squad on Saturday, Sept. 19. One group will travel to Terre Haute, Indiana, for the John McNichols Invitational at the site of the 2026 NCAA Championships, while the other group will remain in Riverside for the UC Riverside Invitational, hosted by cross-town rival UC Riverside.
The full squad will reunite two weeks later and travel to San Marcos for the Cougar Challenge, hosted by Cal State San Marcos, on Saturday, Oct. 3.
The Lancers are expected to split their squad again on the weekend of Oct. 16-17. One group will compete at the Arturo Barrios Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, on Friday, Oct. 16, while the other group will race at the Highlander Invitational, hosted by UC Riverside, on Saturday, Oct. 17.
The postseason begins Saturday, Oct. 31, when the Big West Championship comes to Riverside. Hosted by UC Riverside, the conference championship will be contested at the UC Riverside Agricultural Operations Course.
Following the conference championship, CBU will compete at the NCAA West Regional on Saturday, Nov. 14, in Sacramento, California, with the goal of qualifying for the NCAA Championships on Saturday, Nov. 21, in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Head coach Sean Smith and the Lancers enter the 2026 season looking to build on the program's recent conference championship success as they begin competition in the Big West.
"I am really excited for this year's schedule," Smith said. "This schedule really allows for our top runners to preview the national course and compete with some of the best teams in the country, while also offering a great schedule for runners who are developing and perhaps not ready to travel yet. One of our strengths as a program is our development of runners, and having awesome opportunities for those who aren't flying is so important.
"I also told the team last year after nationals that we would always get out to the national course, and holding true to that promise is going to set us up for success in November. John McNichols will be one of the biggest meets of the year, but Arturo Barrios had plenty of heavy hitters last fall. I believe the combination of the two meets will give us the opportunity needed to collect points for nationals.
"When we look ahead to the postseason, having our first Big West Championship here in Riverside is going to be pretty incredible. Both teams will have a great shot at the title, and my biggest hope is to see our community rally around us and make their way out to cheer.
"We need momentum going into regionals, and I couldn't be more excited about heading back to Sacramento. I know last year's ending for the men wasn't everything we had dreamed of, but getting the first automatic bid to the NCAA Championships in school history was a fond memory. I believe we can recreate something like that in a few months.
"I also feel like our women are going to surprise a lot of people, and they are hungry for another shot at the national stage. It's in the cards for them. I am excited to get rolling!"
The full schedule can be viewed HERE.
The six-meet schedule includes competition across four states before the Lancers begin postseason action at the Big West Championship.
The Lancers will open the season Friday, Sept. 4, at the USF Invitational in San Francisco.
After a two-week break, the Lancers will split their squad on Saturday, Sept. 19. One group will travel to Terre Haute, Indiana, for the John McNichols Invitational at the site of the 2026 NCAA Championships, while the other group will remain in Riverside for the UC Riverside Invitational, hosted by cross-town rival UC Riverside.
The full squad will reunite two weeks later and travel to San Marcos for the Cougar Challenge, hosted by Cal State San Marcos, on Saturday, Oct. 3.
The Lancers are expected to split their squad again on the weekend of Oct. 16-17. One group will compete at the Arturo Barrios Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, on Friday, Oct. 16, while the other group will race at the Highlander Invitational, hosted by UC Riverside, on Saturday, Oct. 17.
The postseason begins Saturday, Oct. 31, when the Big West Championship comes to Riverside. Hosted by UC Riverside, the conference championship will be contested at the UC Riverside Agricultural Operations Course.
Following the conference championship, CBU will compete at the NCAA West Regional on Saturday, Nov. 14, in Sacramento, California, with the goal of qualifying for the NCAA Championships on Saturday, Nov. 21, in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Head coach Sean Smith and the Lancers enter the 2026 season looking to build on the program's recent conference championship success as they begin competition in the Big West.
"I am really excited for this year's schedule," Smith said. "This schedule really allows for our top runners to preview the national course and compete with some of the best teams in the country, while also offering a great schedule for runners who are developing and perhaps not ready to travel yet. One of our strengths as a program is our development of runners, and having awesome opportunities for those who aren't flying is so important.
"I also told the team last year after nationals that we would always get out to the national course, and holding true to that promise is going to set us up for success in November. John McNichols will be one of the biggest meets of the year, but Arturo Barrios had plenty of heavy hitters last fall. I believe the combination of the two meets will give us the opportunity needed to collect points for nationals.
"When we look ahead to the postseason, having our first Big West Championship here in Riverside is going to be pretty incredible. Both teams will have a great shot at the title, and my biggest hope is to see our community rally around us and make their way out to cheer.
"We need momentum going into regionals, and I couldn't be more excited about heading back to Sacramento. I know last year's ending for the men wasn't everything we had dreamed of, but getting the first automatic bid to the NCAA Championships in school history was a fond memory. I believe we can recreate something like that in a few months.
"I also feel like our women are going to surprise a lot of people, and they are hungry for another shot at the national stage. It's in the cards for them. I am excited to get rolling!"
The full schedule can be viewed HERE.
Wednesday, August 17
Saturday, October 30
Thursday, October 01
Thursday, September 10
