Previewing SU cross country before season opener at Harry Lang Invitational
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Following a runner-up finish at the Atlantic Coast Conference championships and a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, Syracuse men’s cross country aims to contend for the top spot in both competitions. Meanwhile, a young women’s squad looks to outperform its preseason expectations.
To open 2026, the men ranked 13th in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll. National polls ranked them first in the Northeast, tied for first in the ACC and 13th in the country. The women placed fourth, 13th and unranked, respectively.
Here’s everything to know about SU cross country before its season begins Sept. 5:
Schedule Breakdown
The Orange open with the Harry Lang Invitational at Colgate, which both SU teams won last year. The men swept with 15 points, with all seven runners finishing top seven ahead of every Raider. The women notched 24 points, as Jayden Harberts finished first. Harberts and reigning men’s winner Asher Danielson, who ran a 18:56.3 6K, look to defend their titles.
On Sept. 11, SU will compete in the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational at Penn State. The national rankings have the Nittany Lions’ men unranked and the women 10th.
The Meadows Challenge at Princeton is Sept. 26th, which will be an intriguing meet, as Princeton’s repeating three-lap 8K course is one of the easiest the Orange will run. The Tigers’ men’s side ranks 25th and women’s 23rd.
The teams split on Oct. 16, as some runners will attend the NCAA Pre-Nationals in Terre Haute, Indiana, and others will retreat to Princeton’s Joe Handelman Princeton Fall Classic. Last season, Princeton finished first at its home event with 55 points, and the Orange placed sixth with 235.
SU then travels to Cornell for the John Reif Memorial on Oct. 23, one weekend before championship season begins.
ACC Championships begin Oct. 30 at Virginia Tech. The Hokies rank 6th in the ACC men’s poll and tied for 30th nationally, while the women place ninth and are also tied for 30th, respectively.
The NCAA Northeast Regionals are in Bethpage, New York, on Nov. 13. The men have won them back-to-back years and look to make it 14 regional titles in 17 years. The season concludes with the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute on Nov. 21. The men look for their first national title since 2015, and the women eye an NCAA Championship return after missing it last season.
Runners to Watch
Benne Anderson
Redshirt junior Benne Anderson earned All-ACC and USTFCCCA All-Northeast Region honors last year. He finished sixth at the NCAA Northeast Regionals and 15th at the ACC Cross Country Championships. Anderson could be the Orange’s most daunting runner.
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Connor Ackley
Senior Connor Ackley earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors and helped the Orange capture the NCAA Northeast Regional title as a redshirt freshman. He missed last season but returned in the spring for track, finishing eighth in the 10,000-meter race at the ACC Track and Field Championships at 29:44.5.
Jayden Harberts
Jayden Harberts opened last season impressively, winning the Harry Lang Invitational with a 5K time of 17:55.3. She had a strong spring track season, running a personal-best 16:36.59 in the 5K, making her a potential X-factor this season.
Carmen Luisi
As a redshirt freshman, Carmen Luisi made an immediate impact with a third-place finish at the Harry Lang Invitational with a 5K time of 18:15.7. Luisi then ran at ACC Championships and NCAA Regionals.
