MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan University cross country program has announced its 2026 schedule, highlighted by five regular-season meets leading into the GLIAC Championship, NCAA Midwest Regional, and NCAA Championship races.
The Wildcats will open the campaign by hosting the annual Wildcat Open exhibition on Aug. 21 in Marquette before traveling to Green Bay, Wisconsin, for the regular-season opener in the Phoenix Open on Sept. 12.
Northern will then compete in the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Sept. 18 before returning to Wisconsin for the Lucian Rosa Invitational in Kenosha on Oct. 10.
The final stretch of the regular season begins with the Warrior Challenge in Detroit, Michigan, on Oct. 24 before closing at Michigan Tech's Husky Invitational in Houghton, Michigan, on Oct. 30.
Postseason competition begins Nov. 6 at the GLIAC Championships in Hammond, Indiana. Teams qualifying for the NCAA postseason will compete at the NCAA Midwest Regional on Nov. 21 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with the NCAA Division II Championships scheduled for Dec. 4 in Lawrence, Kansas.
Northern enters the season coming off one of the most successful years in program history under head coach
Jenny Ryan, who was named the 2025-26 NMU Coach of the Year. Ryan guided the Wildcats to their first NCAA Championships team appearance since 2017 while leading the program to a No. 12 national ranking, a runner-up finish at the GLIAC Championships and a fourth-place finish among 32 teams at the NCAA Midwest Regional.
Individually,
Madi Szymanski and
Ashley Choponis earned All-GLIAC and All-Region honors, while
Emma Sweeney and
Lamar Gordon were recognized as All-GLIAC selections.
Choponis and Gordon headline a group of 26 Wildcats looking to build on last season's success. The group consists of 10 freshmen, five sophomores, eight juniors, and three seniors.
