NASHVILLE – One final regular-season race stands between the Trevecca Nazarene University cross country teams and the Gulf South Conference Championships. The Trojans head to Huntsville, Alabama, Saturday, Oct. 24, for the UAH Chargers UAH Festival Year Fiasco at John Hunt Cross Country Park, but the approach to this week's meet is about more than the results.
With the GSC Championships just two weeks away, head coach Kate Bucknam and director of cross country and track and field Joe Frye are taking an individualized approach to the final stages of preparation.
Nine Trojans will race in Huntsville, getting another opportunity to test themselves over a championship distance. The rest of the team will continue training outside of competition, following a schedule designed to have the Trojans ready for the postseason.
The six Trevecca men entered will look to record a team score in the 8,000-meter race, while three Trojan women will compete individually in the 6,000-meter event.
The larger goal is Friday, Nov. 6, when Trevecca welcomes the Gulf South Conference to Andrew Jackson's The Hermitage Cross Country Course for the 2026 GSC Championships.
BUCKNAM ON THE FINAL REGULAR-SEASON MEET
"There's value in getting one more good race under your belt, and there's value in getting another solid week of training," Bucknam said. "We're making those decisions based on what we feel will help each athlete be at their best when we get to conference. The group racing this weekend has an opportunity to compete hard and build on what they've done, while the others continue preparing for what we've been working toward all season. We're excited to get back on our home course with something on the line."
BACK TO HUNTSVILLE
Saturday's visit to John Hunt Park brings Trevecca back to the site of its season opener, the Sept. 18 Southern Showcase.
The course also holds importance beyond this weekend. UAH will host the NCAA Division II South Regional Championships at John Hunt Park on Nov. 21, giving the Trojans another opportunity to compete on the grounds where the regional postseason will unfold.
Trevecca enters the weekend following its Oct. 10 appearance at the Lewis Crossover in Romeoville, Illinois. The Trojans faced a deep national field in their third meet of the season, with the men placing 26th and the women 24th.
Joshua Novotny and Ashley Alsvig have led their respective teams across the finish line in all three meets this season. Both are among the Trojans who will continue their training rather than compete at UAH, allowing them to focus on their final preparations for the conference meet.
Novotny and Alsvig were named GSC Runners of the Week following the Sept. 26 Michael Pretorius Invitational, where freshman Kate Brent also earned GSC Freshman of the Week recognition.
MEN'S RACE | SIX TROJANS SET FOR 8K
Trevecca's six-man group includes Caleb Hinson, Jack Jaeger, Caden Meeks, Joel White, Garrett Wilson and Harley Kirkpatrick.
Hinson enters Saturday with momentum after running his fastest 8K of the season at Lewis. The junior finished in 26:32.5, improving his previous season best by 42.4 seconds. His career best at the distance is 25:53.69.
Jaeger turned in one of Trevecca's strongest performances at the Michael Pretorius Invitational, finishing eighth overall in 26:23.05. His improvement from the Southern Showcase helped the Trojans earn a second-place team finish at their home meet.
Meeks has been among Trevecca's leading finishers this fall. The senior placed 10th at the Pretorius Invitational with a season-best 26:40.46 and returned to Lewis to improve his time on that course from a year ago by 14.8 seconds.
White established a career-best 8K time of 27:04.79 at the Pretorius Invitational, an improvement of more than two minutes from his season-opening performance. The senior has been part of the Trojans' scoring five in their last two meets.
Wilson produced his best performance of the season at The Hermitage, finishing in 28:19.46. That effort was nearly three minutes faster than his season-opening time at the Southern Showcase.
Kirkpatrick will make his first cross country appearance of the fall after competing for Trevecca during the 2026 track and field season. The junior owns a collegiate 8K best of 28:47.5 and will have an opportunity to put another full-distance effort into his preparation for the conference meet.
With five finishers needed to produce a team score, the six-man lineup gives the Trojans an opportunity to work on pack running, race positioning and closing the gaps between scorers before the GSC Championships.
WOMEN'S RACE | THREE TROJANS READY FOR 6K
Sarah Arnold, Sarah Penney and Hailey Carmichael will represent Trevecca in the women's 6,000-meter race. With three runners competing, the Trojans will not record a women's team score Saturday.
Arnold has been one of Trevecca's most consistent performers this season. The junior finished the 5K at the Pretorius Invitational in 19:41.25, nearly 50 seconds faster than her season-opening performance. At the Lewis Crossover, she ran 24:59.0 in the 6K, improving her time on the course from 2025 by more than two minutes.
Penney continues to gain valuable collegiate experience in her freshman season. She lowered her 5K best to 20:27.77 at The Hermitage, improving by more than a minute from her debut, then completed her first collegiate 6K in 26:21.4 at Lewis.
Carmichael joins the group after competing at the Michael Pretorius Invitational, where she finished the 5K in 26:18.43. The senior will have another opportunity to gain race experience over the 6K championship distance.
For the three women, Saturday provides one more chance to work through a full race effort, establish a rhythm over 6,000 meters and carry that experience into the conference championship.
THE ROAD HOME | GSC CHAMPIONSHIPS
The postseason brings Trevecca back to familiar ground.
On Sept. 26, the Trojans hosted the first collegiate cross country competition at Andrew Jackson's The Hermitage. The Michael Pretorius Invitational gave both teams their first competitive experience on the course that will host the Gulf South Conference Championships.
The men placed second among five scoring teams, finishing two points ahead of NCAA Division I Austin Peay. The women finished third, with several Trojans producing career-best performances.
The meet also produced a sweep of the GSC's three cross country weekly awards for Trevecca.
Now, after competing in Huntsville for the second time this season, the Trojans will turn their full attention to the conference championship.
For those racing Saturday, it is one final chance to compete against another collegiate field. For those continuing their training, the work toward November carries on.
Both groups are working toward the same starting line at The Hermitage on Nov. 6.
MEET INFORMATION | UAH CHARGERS UAH FESTIVAL YEAR FIASCO
· Date: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026
· Host: University of Alabama in Huntsville
· Course: John Hunt Cross Country Park, Huntsville, Alabama
· Men's 8K: 8 a.m. CT
· Women's 6K: 8:50 a.m. CT
· Live Results: Xpress Timing
· Meet Information: UAH Invitational
UP NEXT | GULF SOUTH CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Trevecca will host the 2026 Gulf South Conference Cross Country Championships on Friday, Nov. 6, at Andrew Jackson's The Hermitage Cross Country Course in Nashville, Tennessee.
The NCAA Division II South Regional Championships follow Saturday, Nov. 21, at John Hunt Cross Country Park in Huntsville, Alabama.
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