Season Begins at USF Invite

STANFORD, Calif. — Stanford cross country embarks on the 2026 campaign this Friday as the Cardinal trek up to the 32nd annual USF Invitational held at Hellman Hollow in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. This season’s meet begins with the men’s eight-kilometer race at 2:30 p.m. followed by the women’s six-kilometer at 3:30 p.m. 

STANFORD AT THE USF INVITE

The Cardinal returns to the event for the 12th time in the last 16 seasons including six-straight entering 2026. In 10 of its 11 showings at the event, Stanford has produced either a team or individual champion, a run that ended in last season’s event as the Cardinal women grabbed second overall. 

The Stanford women paced the competition with three harriers inside the top 10, led by Julia Flynn’s third-place showing with a time of 20:46.9. Riley Stewart and then-freshman Hanne Thomsen slotted in fifth and sixth, respectively, as the Cardinal placed seven harriers in the top 40. The Cardinal women narrowly missed out on the top spot with a total of 46 points at last season’s event. 

On the men’s side, Stanford held firm in pack-like fashion for another season, using the track as a pace test en route to a second-consecutive fifth-place finish. Stanford’s seven harriers finished nearly in order with sub-25:30 finishes as the new-look Cardinal featured five new faces in the 2025 edition of the race. 

The Stanford women return four members of the 2025 NCAA Championship squad including Amy Bunnage and Sophia Kennedy who return having been named All-America a season ago. Julia Flynn and Hanne Thomsen also return for the Cardinal from last season’s NCAA Championship contingency while the Cardinal welcome four new faces to The Farm that are eager to make an impact. 

On the men’s side, Leo Young returns following a top-75 outing at last season’s NCAA Championship meet while six of the seven harriers from the NCAA West Regional lineup return for the Cardinal. Lex Young is also back following a season off in 2025 while James Dargan is back for his junior season after a breakout campaign in last season. The Cardinal also welcomes four freshmen to the squad in 2026. 

IN THE POLLS

Under the direction of the Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field and Cross Country, J.J. Clark, and assistant coaches Ricardo Santos and Addy Royal, the Cardinal men and women rank inside the top 30 of the USTFCCCA NCAA DI National Cross Country Coaches Poll. 

Having finished sixth at the NCAA Championships a season ago, the Stanford women rank ninth overall in the national poll while looking to defend their West Region title as the preseason No. 2 in the region. On the men’s side, Stanford enters the rankings at 27th overall after just missing the NCAA Championship race a season ago. The Cardinal men slot in ninth in the West Region after a sixth-place outing a season ago. 

Stanford, which finished seventh on the men’s side and fourth in the women’s race at the ACC Championships a season ago, was picked to finish seventh on the men’s side and fourth on the women’s side in its third season in the conference.