BOSTON - All nine teams will compete in the 2026 America East Cross Country Championship on Friday. On the men's side, UMass Lowell seeks its seventh-straight team title while four different schools have won the last four women's crowns, including Maine for the first time in program history.
The championship will take place on the campus of UAlbany hosted by the Great Danes. The women will kick off the action at 11:00 a.m. with the 5k race, followed by the men, who are slated to take on the 8k course at 12:00 p.m. For the first time in conference history, the championsihp will air on ESPN+.
For more information on the upcoming championship, including live results,, visit #AEXC Championship Central.. Watch the race live on ESPN+.
Need to Know
Last Time Out for the Women: Bryant went 1-2 overall as Jasmine Trott won her first America East #AEXC crown in 17:02.59, while teammate Chloe Whiting was seven seconds behind in 7:09.27. However, Maine took places 6-8 and then 11 and 17 to edge past the Bulldogs by just two points, 49-51. The two points is the closest margin of victory since New Hampshire won by two in 2016. Binghamton claimed third with 71 points, followed by Vermont (115), UMass Lowell (131) and UMBC (149). NJIT placed seventh (180), while New Hampshire (181) and UAlbany (273) rounded out the field.
Last Time Out for the Men: UMass Lowell graduate student Jan Wouter Van Den Akker won his second career men's title in 23:47.49, the seventh-fastest time in league history, while teammates Sean Kennedy-Wonneberger (24:06.20) and Devin Moreau (24:09.74) rounded out the top three. UMass Lowell’s team total of 24 was their second lowest during their title run, while Binghamton impressed with 38 points and a second place finish. UMBC earned its first top-three finish in 11 years with 85 points, while Maine took fourth (112) and New Hampshire (158) rounded out the top five. Vermont (163), NJIT (185), Bryant (195) and UAlbany (271) took spots 6-9.
Male Runners to Watch
Daniel Danilovitz, UMBC - The junior from UMBC crossed the tine fifth at the 2025 America East Cross Country Championship and enters the meet this Friday as the third-best returner. Danilovitz jumped from 25th during his freshman year to fifth place and All-Conference honors last year, and he will be looking to make another jump as he goes for gold.
William Locke, Vermont - The senior from Vermont has been the Catamounts’ most consistent runner for the better part of the fall. He was the top America East athlete at the NEICAAA Championship, and after finishing 11th and earning All-Conference honors at the 2025 America East Cross Country Championship, Locke will look to be a threat at the front of the pack.
Robert Mayclim, Binghamton - Last year's fourth-place finisher enters the 2026 Championship as the second-best returner. The junior from Binghamton is no stranger to crossing the line first, having won both of his outings this fall, including one on the 2026 #AEXC Championship course. Mayclim will look to make it three in a row on Friday.
Seb Melrose, Bryant – The man from across the pond has made an immediate impact during his freshman campaign for the Bulldogs. Melrose has crossed the line first or second for Bryant in all five of his collegiate meets and will look to do the same when he makes his #AEXC Championship debut.
Devin Moreau, UMass Lowell - The bronze medalist and Most Outstanding Rookie from the 2025 America East Cross Country Championship will toe the line as the top returner on Friday. Moreau had a sensational freshman campaign, crossing the line ahead of all but his teammates at the 2025 #AEXC Championship before finishing 21st at the Northeast Regional meet. During the indoor season, he was the runner-up in the 3K and finished one place off the podium in the 5K.
Will Simard, UMass Lowell - After finishing 37th in his #AEXC debut last year, Simard, the sophomore from UMass Lowell, has progressed through his second collegiate cross country season to become one of the River Hawks’ top runners. He ran a personal-best 24:30.3 at the Under Armour Pre-National Invite and is no stranger to the podium, having placed third in the mile at the #AETF indoor meet last season.
Female Runners to Watch
Alicia DeFilippis, Binghamton - The junior from Binghamton has really come into her own this year, leading the pack for the Bearcats. She crossed the line first at the Iona Br. Paddy Boyle Meet of Champions and earned a runner-up finish at the R.K. Muncey XC Invite on the same course that will host the 2026 #AEXC Championship.
Jessie Fotheringham, NJIT - The top returner from the 2025 #AEXC Championship is bronze medalist and Most Outstanding Rookie Jessie Fotheringham. After earning those honors during her freshman campaign, the sophomore from NJIT placed 30th at the Mid-Atlantic XC Regional meet before recording third- and fourth-place finishes in the mile and 3K, respectively, at the #AETF indoor meet.
Mary-Kate Finn, UMass Lowell - The two-time America East Cross Country Champion has returned to the scene. Finn captured back-to-back titles by winning the 2023 and 2024 championships, and at the 2024 #AETF outdoor championship, she placed first in the 5K. She will look to win her third America East Cross Country title and fourth overall America East title when she makes her #AEXC Championship return on Friday.
Zoey McNabb, Vermont - The 2025 Gatorade Vermont Girls Track and Field Player of the Year has made a smooth transition to the collegiate scene, becoming Vermont's top performer and one of the best runners in the conference. McNabb has crossed the line first twice this fall, including when she captured the NEICAAA title, and had a strong showing against a loaded field at the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia, Mo.
Skyler Hines, UAlbany - The senior from UAlbany will toe the line at the America East Cross Country Championship for the first time since 2024. She has recorded four top-10 finishes this fall, including first-place finishes at the Marist Invite, the 22nd Annual NJIT XC Invite and the R.K. Muncey XC Invite on the 2025 #AEXC Championship course. The middle-distance specialist has six top-three finishes at America East track and field championships, including a victory in the 1,000 meters at the 2024 indoor meet.
Natalie Persson, Bryant - The 2025 Swedish U20 bronze medalist in the steeplechase has adjusted nicely to the collegiate scene. In her four races as a Bulldog, she has been Bryant’s top runner three times, has not finished worse than ninth and crossed the line first at the 53rd UMass Dartmouth Cross Country Invite.
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
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