KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- Point Park men's and women's cross country open their 2026 seasons on Saturday in the Kutztown DII/DIII Challenge. Point Park was scheduled to race in last week's West Liberty Invitational, but the meet was canceled due to severe weather.

Point Park features a strong group of returners from the 2025 season, highlighted by reigning MEC Champion and MEC Runner of the Year Cassondra O'Connor. O'Connor, who turned in a time of 22:28.64 at last year's MEC Championships, earned first team All-MEC accolades. The men's team returns three of its top-five finishers from the 2025 championships: Elijah Bechdel, Pedro Lemos and Chase Bowen.

PPU's women's team finished second at the 2025 MEC Championships, and the men's team took sixth place. In the MEC Preseason Poll, the Point Park women's team ranked third, and the men ranked fourth.

Additionally, Point Park's men's and women's teams were both ranked in the 2026 U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Atlantic Region Preseason Poll. The women ranked fifth in the region, the highest of any MEC school, and the men ranked eighth.

For a full preseason preview, click here.