BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University men's and women's cross country teams are set to open their 2026 seasons at the Gil Dodds Invitational on Friday, Sept. 16, at St. James Farm Forest Preserve in Warrenville, Ill. The meet is hosted by Wheaton College and is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.

Head coach Greg Huffaker enters his 22nd season at the helm of the IWU cross country programs. Joining him on the staff are first-year assistants Nora Robinson and Kaitlin Skeate.

The women are led by senior Maddie Morgan (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard West), who clocked a 23:30.3 at last season's College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Championships, good for 22nd place, which is the best amongst returners. Sophomore Alexia Spatz (Spring Grove, Ill.-Richmond Burton) and junior Annika Blackburn (Champaign, Ill.-Centennial) also return for the Titans. Spatz finished in 32nd at last year's CCIW Championships, while Blackburn clocked a personal-best, 24:56.9.

On the men's side, returners include juniors Carson Davis (Mt. Zion, Ill.-Mt. Zion) and Jacob Pinkston (Tinley Park, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) along with sophomore David Humphreys (Bloomington, Ill.-Bloomington). Davis finished with a time of 27:19.3 at the 2025 CCIW Championships, the best finish amongst returners.

Friday's race time at the Gil Dodds Invitational is set for 5:30 p.m. in Warrensville, Ill. Results will be made available on the cross country schedule pages of iwusports.com upon the conclusion of the meet.