Lynchburg, Va. – The University of Lynchburg men's and women's cross country teams aim to ride late-season momentum into the postseason as they compete at the 2026 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championships in Winchester, Va. on Saturday, Oct. 31, hosted by Shenandoah University at historic Kernstown Battlefield.

On the men's side, Lynchburg enters the postseason ranked 26th in the USTFCCCA Coaches Poll and second in the South Region. Four of the Hornets' seven competitors earned personal bests at the Connecticut College Invite last time out.

At the Roanoke South Region Showdown, the women's team placed third, while nine of the 10 Hornets claimed season or personal-best marks. Lynchburg occupies fifth in the South Region standings ahead of the ODAC Championships.

Shenandoah last hosted the ODAC Championships in 2022, when the Hornets generated a one-through-five sweep on the men's and women's sides for perfect scores and team titles. The late Frank Csorba won the men's race with a tactical 25:38.4 performance, while Kelsey Lagunas secured a 21:55.8 first-place finish in the women's 6k.

Event Schedule

The women's 6,000m will begin at 10:00 a.m., while the men's 8,000m directly follows at 11:00 a.m. Spectators can buy a parking pass for $11 on HomeTown Ticketing by clicking here.

Weather

Temperatures will decrease significantly for Saturday morning's race, as high temperatures will peak in the low 60s by the afternoon. Cloudy skies are expected with minimal wind gusts, and the temperature should reach 48 degrees by race time.

Course Overview

Kernstown Battlefield offers a hilly, challenging grass course that weaves through a Civil War Battlefield. The venue has formerly hosted the NCAA South/Southeast Region Championships, along with multiple ODAC Championship races.

Athletes will traverse a gradual 400-meter ascent twice throughout the race, including at the start. Gradual hills fill the middle portion of the course, while athletes enjoy a 300-meter downhill stretch to conclude the race.

The course hosted a pair of regular-season meets during the 2026 campaign: the SU Twilight Open and the Hornet Harrier/ODAC Preview.

Lynchburg Championship History

While Washington & Lee claimed men's and women's titles in 2025, the Lynchburg men lead the conference with 21 team titles. The women's team owns nine conference crowns, as the Hornets last clinched the team title in 2023.

Before 2025, the Lynchburg men posted five consecutive team titles and placed as high as ninth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

The women's team aims to secure its first conference title since 2023, when they posted 22 points for a dominant victory. Lynchburg's 2023 title marked the last of three consecutive, while Kayla Werner earned the individual victory with a 21:40.3 performance.

Follow Along

To access live results from the 2026 ODAC Cross Country Championships, click here.

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--LYN--