JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman Cross Country begins the 2026 season Friday night at the Florida Intercollegiate XC Invitational in Jacksonville, Florida. Hosted by North Florida, the event takes place at Cecil Field and begins at 7 p.m. EST.

The Bethune-Cookman men's cross country team enters the 2026 season looking to build on a historic 2025 campaign that saw the Wildcats capture their first Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship. Andrew Kiplagat led the way, claiming the individual SWAC championship with a time of 24:48.7 and earning SWAC Runner of the Year honors. Kiplagat is among a strong group of returning Wildcats that also includes Majet Bethely, Dashon Gill, Andrew Sewel, Jalen Jackson and Dashawn Buist, all of whom competed in last season's championship race. The Wildcats will look to once again contend for the conference title with much of last year's championship lineup returning.

On the women's side, Bethune-Cookman finished seventh at the 2025 SWAC Championship, led by Valencia Butler and Shelvany Goin, who finished 15th and 20th, respectively. Both return for the 2026 season, joined by Sada Franco, Morgan Middleton and Betina Jean, giving the Wildcats five returning runners from last year's championship squad.

Bethune-Cookman returns to Jacksonville for the third consecutive season. In last year's meeting, Andrew Kiplagat made an immediate impact in his first race as a Wildcat, winning the men's 8K with a school-record time of 24:40.2. He finished six seconds ahead of Florida Gulf Coast's Siyabonga Mokgothu, while Victor Kibet also posted a top-20 finish, placing 17th in 25:22.8.

The Wildcats finished sixth as a team, with Dashon Gill, Majet Bethely, Jalen Jackson, Andre Sewell and Dashawn Buist also competing in the event. On the women's side, Valencia Butler led the Wildcats with a time of 21:32.2, while Shelvany Goin and Morgan Middleton also competed for B-CU.

Live timing of the Florida Intercollegiate Invitational can be accessed through Half-Mile Timing by clicking here.
 
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