KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Western Michigan cross country team will begin its 2026 season at the Jeff Drenth Memorial tomorrow morning. The meet is being hosted by Central Michigan, and the women's race is slated for 11 a.m.
PROGRAM ON THE RISE
The Broncos enter the 2026 season with big expectations, and the polls reflect that. WMU enters the year ranked ninth in the Great Lakes Region, which is the highest preseason ranking in program history. In the MAC, the Brown and Gold were picked to finish third. Western Michigan earned a first-place vote and garnered 87 points.
KEY RETURNERS
The Brown and Gold bring back a wealth of talent from last year's squad, including its entire scoring roster from the NCAA Great Lakes Regional.
Lily Overton,
Lara Machado Pereira and
Ava Kurczewski all finished among the top 100 at last years regional meet.
Lillian Zelasko is also back for the Broncos, after missing the 2025 season due to injury.
The North Liberty, Ind. native was a Second Team All-MAC honoree in 2024 and scored 10 points at the MAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships earlier this year. Aiding the lineup will be
Madison Zarembski and
Larissa McGrath, who rounded out WMU's scoring lineup at the regional meet last season.
Lily Baibak,
Emma Henkel and
Kaelin Hughes also return for their sophomore campaigns after producing strong results as freshmen.
