The 2026 season is now in full swing for the Case Western Reserve University men’s and women’s cross country teams. The two teams find themselves in very different situations, but the goals for both teams remain constant: to bring out the best in each other and show what they are capable of.

The men’s team is fortunate to have many returning members, including a number of key upperclassmen from last year’s team. Among them are third-year Donovan Crowley and fourth-year and team co-captain Jacob Slater, both of whom qualified for the NCAA championship last year. Second-year runner Jay Woodhouse notes how Crowley and Slater’s performances are inspiring to the rest of the team.

“It’s very motivating and it’s good inspiration,” Woodhouse said. “Just having two guys that have been there… and shown that they can compete at that level, it gives you someone to really chase and look up to and know that’s where you need to be if [we] want to be making nationals and if we want to be succeeding in nationals.”

That motivation drives the force behind some of the team’s main goals. Among them are a high finish in the UAA rankings and securing a top 25 finish at the national championship. Securing such positions will require navigating a gruel season, though one that is notably shorter than in prior years. Still, one of the challenges lying ahead for the team is to stay healthy throughout the season—a challenge that the team faced head-on last year with numerous injuries that prevented members of the team from reaching their true potential.

Though staying healthy will remain a challenge for the Spartans this year, Woodhouse is confident in his team’s abilities.

“It’s nice to not have to try to fully rebuild, but instead [have it] figured out with the guys that we have,” Woodhouse said. “It’s kind of just keeping doing what we were doing last year, getting a little fitter, working a little harder, and things should fall into place from there.”

With a solid foundation already established, the men are confident as they set their sights on further postseason success.

“We’re going to be a lot better than people think we’re going to be,” Woodhouse said.

Conversely, the women’s team finds itself in a rebuilding phase. After graduating six seniors this past year, the Spartans welcome two first-years to a squad consisting of seven second-years, three third-years and a single fourth-year. Given the circumstances, third-year and co-captain runner Ceci Postma acknowledged that the priority this season will be more so on a rebuild compared to aiming for high rankings.

“I think this year I don’t see our team qualifying for nationals or anything crazy like that… but it is a really great opportunity for growth. And those younger girls are super talented,” Postma said.

Among the underclassmen on the team is second-year Francesa Taracila, who qualified for the NCAA championship last year alongside the aforementioned Crowley and Slater. Postma notes Taracila’s performance as one of the biggest surprises from last season, and an example of something she hopes continues into this season: being surprised by her teammates.

“I think [second-year] Reed Smith has really good potential to be a front runner,” Postma said. “I think Katie [Straub] and Josslyn [Wade], our two freshmen, are really quick and they could do some crazy things… I’m just excited to be surprised and see who pops up to the front of our team because I really think it could be anyone leading our team this year.”

Adapting to a new roster dynamic requires overcoming the challenge of a smaller meet schedule, which makes it harder to simulate the pressure of high-stakes races later in the season. To overcome this, the squad is focused on staying healthy throughout the season and fostering a tight-knit culture to help bring underclassmen closer into the group. These actions are ones that Postma believes will be crucial to setting up the team for success in later years as the underclassmen gain more experience and step into roles such as hers.

“I think we support each other really well, and we’re really good friends,” Postma said. “And the people that are current sophomores came in easily and adjusted great to our team, and so just pulling those two new girls into our little tight-knit family is a big goal.”

Opportunities to work towards these goals during meets will be less frequent this season due to a shorter schedule, but the team still has a handful of events to look forward to. Among them is the Paul Short Run, an event that no current member of the team has previously participated in. Postma took note of how several other UAA teams will be at the meet, giving the Spartans a chance to see how they rank compared to those teams before heading into the UAA conference meet.

Before then, the goal remains the same: foster a tight-knit culture while continuing to show everyone what they are capable of.

Both teams will get their next chance to make progress towards their goals with their next two events: the Alumni Race at the University Farm on Saturday, Sept. 12 and the All-Ohio Challenge in Cedarville, Ohio on Friday, Sept. 18.