Canyon, Texas. – No. 6 West Texas A&M Men's Cross Country and No. 8 Women's Cross Country return to action this weekend with a pair of meets. On Friday, October 2 they will compete in the SPC Invitational in Levelland, Texas before racing in the Louisville Classic in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday, October 3. In both meets, the Men will start at 9:00 a.m. while the Women race at 9:45 a.m. Both Men's races will be an 8K while both of the Women's races will be 5K's.  
 
Follow The Buffs
Results will be posted on Track & Field Results Reporting System on Friday and then on Flash Results for Saturday. Both the Men and Women are in the Gold Division on Saturday.  More information on Saturday's meet can be found here.
 
Last Time Out
West Texas A&M opened up their season two weeks ago as they competed in the Texas Tech Open in Lubbock, Texas.
 
Keter Takes Second as No. 8 Buffs Open Season with Win at Texas Tech Open- September 18, 2026
WT would accumulate 43 points to take the top spot in Lubbock as six Buffs finished in the top 16. Rounding out the top five would be Odessa (74), No. 12 Fort Lewis (78), New Mexico JC (115), and No. 13 Colorado Christian (120)
 
Keter led the charge for West Texas A&M as a time of 23:52.7 was good for a second-place finish. He was four seconds from first as Titus Kimaru of Texas Tech claimed gold. Merlijn Van der Velden was the next highest finisher as a 24:58.2 time finished him seventh. Miles Cox was the third Buffalo to score points as he ran a 25:02.1 to take ninth. Vivien Delin (25:11.4) and Tommaso Toppi (25:12.4) finished back-to-back with a 12th and 13th place respectively to round out the scoring for WT.
 
No. 8 West Texas A&M at Texas Tech Open (8K)
September 18th, 2026 | 8:15 a.m. | Lubbock, Texas | LCU Cross Country Course
 
Team Score: 1st of 19 teams (43 points)
 
2. Meshack Keter- 23.52.7
7. Merlijn Van der Velden- 24:58.2
9. Miles Cox- 25:02.1
12. Vivien Delin- 25:11.4
13. Tommaso Toppi- 25:12.0
16. Luca Minale- 25:22.9
37. Adrian Solis- 26:16.2
48. Achille Bazantay- 26:34.7
81. Kaden Jenkins- 27:46.6
111. Jordan Purcell- 28:32.9
151. Lord Odonkor- 31:05.6
171. Kyle Richard- 33:23.5
 
No. 8 Lady Buffs Capture Victory at Texas Tech Open to Open Season- September 18, 2026
Six Lady Buffs would finish in the top 20 as 35 points were accumulated. Rounding out the top five would be Texas Tech (60), No. 17 Fort Lewis (65), Colorado Christian (69), and Amarillo College (184).
 
Jemutai paced WT with a time of 21:19.3 to come in second place. Lola Sarthou was right behind Jemutai as she finished with a time of 21:22.3 to come in third. Naomi Addo was the third Lady Buff to finish in the top five as a 22:01.1 time placed her fifth. Léa Navarro ran a 22:20.4 to come in 10th. Ella Schuettler was the final runner for West Texas A&M to score points as she came in 15th place behind a 22:40.9 time.
 
No. 8 West Texas A&M at Texas Tech Open (6K)
September 18th, 2026 | 8:50 a.m. | Lubbock, Texas | LCU Cross Country Course
 
Team Score: 1st of 14 teams (35 points)
 
2. Michelle Jemutai- 21:19.3
3. Lola Sarthou- 21:22.1
5. Naomi Addo- 22:01.1
10. Léa Navarro- 22:20.4
15. Ella Schuettler- 22:40.9
20. Isabella Celis- 23:19.3
36. Yvonne Legarreta- 24:12.9
93. Elaina McCulloch- 28:07.5
 
Isn't It Sweep
Following the Texas Tech Open, West Texas A&M would sweep the Lone Star Conference (LSC) weekly awards as Meshack Keter and Michelle Jemutai would each be named LSC Runner and Freshman of the Week on the Men's and Women's side. This was the second time in program history where WT earned all four LSC weekly awards with the first time coming on October 6, 2021, with Innocent Murwanashyaka (Male Runner), Florance Uwajeneza (Female Runner), Gustavo Posada (Male Freshman), and Betty Bajika (Female Freshman).
 
National Name
With his second place finish in Lubbock behind a 23:57.2 time, freshman Meshack Keter would be named United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Athlete of the Week. Keter is the first Buff to earn the national recognition since two-time National Champion William Amponsah was the recipient of the award on October 2, 2023.
 
Six in the Mix
In the latest USTFCCCA Poll, the Buffs would jump up to No. 6 after previously being ranked No. 8 in the preseason and week one poll. This was their highest ranking since 2024 where they were ranked No. 5 in week seven.
 
The Great Eight
On the Women's side, the Lady Buffs maintained their No. 8 ranking in the USTFCCCA Poll. WT started the season ranked No. 8 in the preseason poll and have held that spot throughout the entirety of the season.
 
Dynamic Duo
With both programs being ranked inside the top eight, WT was one of seven teams to have earned that feat. They were joined by Wingate, Colorado School of Mines, Adams State, Western Colorado, and Chico State who also had both their Men's and Women's programs ranked top eight. This is the fifth time where both programs are ranked inside the top eight at a given point.
 
LSC Preseason Poll
In the inaugural LSC Preseason Poll, the Buffs and Lady Buffs each claimed the top spot as they both look to extend their LSC Championships streaks. The men have won 13 consecutive LSC Titles dating back to 2013, while the women three-peated as LSC Champs last fall and eye their fourth straight title.  
 
2026 Preseason Poll (Men)
1          West Texas A&M (389 points, 25 first place votes)
2          DBU (357 points, two first place votes)
3          UT Tyler (322 points, one first place vote)
4          Oklahoma Christian (295 points)
5          Cameron (249 points)
6          Lubbock Christian (233 points)
7          UT Dallas (209 points)
8          St. Edward's (198 points)
9          Texas A&M International (166 points)
10        Western New Mexico (162 points)
11        Texas A&M-Kingsville (146 points)
12        Angelo State (106 points)
13        Eastern New Mexico (73 points)
14        Sul Ross State (35 points)
 
2026 LSC Preseason Poll (Women)
1          West Texas A&M (510 points, 30 first place votes)
2          UT Tyler (445 points)
3          DBU (444 points, one first place vote)
4          Midwestern State (428 points, one first place vote)
5          Oklahoma Christian (379 points)
6          Cameron (325 points)
7          St. Edward's (303 points)
8          Lubbock Christian (265 points)
9          Texas A&M International (249 points)
10        Western New Mexico (245 points)
11        Texas A&M-Kingsville (201 points)
12        UT Dallas (176 points)
13        Eastern New Mexico (138 points)
14        Angelo State (132 points)
15        UT Permian Basin (78 points)
16        Sul Ross State (35 points)
 
Runners to Watch
In the LSC Preseason Polls, Tommaso Toppi, Vivien Delin, Abigail Abugire, and Naomi Addo were named the four runners to watch for West Texas A&M.
 
Toppi begins his second season in the maroon and white in 2026. He posted a time of 24:58.7 to finish fourth at the LSC Championships as he would be named LSC Newcomer of the Year. The Passo Corese, Italy native would go on to finish 30th at Regionals and 131st at Nationals. Delin enters his first season with WT after transferring from Wingate. The Gilly Les Citeaux, France native did not compete in any cross country events for the Bulldogs in 2025 but took sixth in the 5000 at the South Atlantic Indoor Championships for track and field. He also placed 23rd in the 10k at the Bryan Clay Invitational.
 
The junior All-American duo of Abugire and Addo each enter their third seasons with WT. Abugire would take third at the LSC Championships behind a time of 21:37.5 as she earned All-LSC honors for the second straight season. Running an identical time of 21:37.5 at the South Central Regional Championships would lead to her placing 23rd and securing All-South Central Region honors. The Legon, Ghana native would secure All-American honors after placing 40th at Nationals. Addo also had a decorated 2025 as she was the Runner-Up at the LSC Championships as she posted a 21:04.8 time. She would go on to take sixth in the Region and earn All-South Central Region Honors for the second straight year. Addo would cross the finish line 28th in Kenosha, Wisconsin at Nationals to secure All-American honors for the second straight season. She would also be named LSC Runner of the Year.
 
New Faces from New Places
Across both programs, there will be 16 new runners competing for West Texas A&M (10 men, six women). On the men's side, Achille Bazantay, Miles Cox, Vivien Delin, Kaden Jenkins, Meshack Keter, Luca Minale, Lord Odonkor, Kyle Richard, Diego Uribe, and Merlijn Van der Velden will all be competing in the maroon and white for the first time. For the women, Glenda Escobar, Michelle Jemutai, Elaina McCulloch, Lea Navarro, Lola Sarthou, and Ella Schuettler all joined the program over the offseason.
 
Daniel Delivers
Head Coach Zach Daniel enters his fifth season at the helm of West Texas A&M Cross Country in the 2026 season. Under Daniel, WT has won seven LSC Championships (four men, three women) while finishing in the top six every year at South Central Region Championships for both the men and women. West Texas A&M has placed 15th or better at Nationals for both programs during his tenure.
 
The Field
Saturday's meet in Louisville will feature 28 total teams with six ranked programs. WT is the only LSC and South Central Region team competing.
 
The teams competing include Auburn Montgomery, Bellarmine, Columbia, Cumberlands, Detroit Mercy (just men), Duqesne, East Tennessee State, Eastern Kentucky B (No. 23 Men (D1)), Evansville, Harding, Indianapolis, IU Indianapolis (just women), Lee (No. 7 Men, No. 13 Women), Louisville B, Marshall, Mississippi College, Morehead State, North Central (just men), Northern Kentucky, Olivet Nazarene, Saint Francis (just women), South Florida (just women), USC Upstate, Wayne State (RV Women), West Texas A&M (No. 6 Men, No. 8 Women), Western Kentucky, Wright State (just men), and Xavier.
 
For all the latest on West Texas A&M Cross Country, stay tuned to gobuffsgo.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.