SMU’s 2026 cross country schedule features seven meets, three Texas stops and early tests on both the NCAA regional and championship courses.
SMU cross country isn’t easing into the 2026 season. The Mustangs are jumping straight into a schedule designed to expose every weakness before November arrives.
Head coach ’A Havahla Haynes unveiled a seven-meet slate Friday that includes four regular-season races, three postseason events and valuable previews of both the NCAA regional and national championship courses.
“This is the most competitive regular season slate we’ve assembled in the last five years,” Haynes said, noting that every stop was selected to prepare a young roster for championship-level pressure.
The season begins close to home on Sept. 4 at TCU’s John McKenzie Invitational in Fort Worth. One week later, SMU heads to College Station for the Texas A&M Invitational, where the Mustangs finished second among 14 teams last season.
That early trip to the Watts Cross Country Course could prove especially important. SMU will return to College Station on Nov. 13 for the NCAA South Central Regional Championship, making the September race more than a typical early-season tune-up.
The Mustangs then travel to Stillwater for Oklahoma State’s Cowboy Jamboree on Sept. 26. SMU placed fifth in a 19-team field there last year, and another strong performance would provide an early indication of how the team stacks up against deeper competition.
The regular season concludes Oct. 16 at Indiana State’s Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute. That race offers SMU a chance to study the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course before the NCAA Championships return there on Nov. 21.
Championship season begins Oct. 30 at the ACC Championships in Blacksburg, Virginia. The field is expected to include six programs that reached last year’s NCAA Championships and three teams that finished inside the national top 10.
SMU has proven talent leading the charge.
Rose Mburu finished sixth at the 2025 South Central Regional and became the first Mustang to reach the NCAA Championships since 2018. Her 62nd-place national finish was SMU’s best since 2011. Carolina Correia also returns after earning All-Region recognition.
Haynes believes that experience can help accelerate the development of a young roster that’s already buying into the process.
SMU’s schedule leaves no room to hide. The Mustangs will see elite competition, difficult terrain and postseason courses long before the trophies are decided.
By November, they should know exactly how good they are.
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