STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State Cross Country announced its 2026 schedule on Thursday afternoon.

The 2026 schedule contains three regular season meets and three potential postseason meets. This season's three regular season meets is just one less than the first two seasons under head coach Bobby Carter. Since Tarleton State joined the United Athletic Conference on July 1, 2026, the Texans will be competing in the first-ever UAC Cross Country Championships instead of the WAC Championships.

"Our 2026 cross country schedule is intentional, and I'm excited about the opportunities it provides our athletes to compete, grow, and prepare for the championship season," said head track and field coach Bobby Carter. "I also want to recognize Coach Zent for the tremendous work he has put into preparing this group and building a culture within our distance program that emphasizes discipline, toughness, and consistency. His leadership is going to be important as we continue to raise the standard across our entire program. We want to compete with purpose every time we step on the course, and I'm excited to see this team represent Tarleton State and set the tone for a great 2026-27 season."

The Purple and White roster consists of 15 men and women with six men and nine women. On the men's side, half are returners from the roster last season with the three newcomers all coming in as freshman. For the women, two return from last year's cross country team and a transfer joins the mix after spending the spring season on the distance squad. In addition to these three, six freshmen fill the roster.

"I'm excited for this year's schedule," said distance coach Christopher Zent. "It provides our athletes with a great opportunity to compete against elite competition in preparation of the inaugural UAC Championships and South Central Regional Championships."

The Texans will begin their season on Sept. 4 at the John McKenzie Invitational hosted by TCU. The meet will be ran at the AP Ranch Championship Course and it will mark the fourth-consecutive season that the Texans opened up their season at this meet. The squad will then have two weeks off before participating in the Cowboy Jamboree on Sept. 26 hosted by Oklahoma State. It will mark the first Texan appearance at the event hosted at the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course.

The Texan regular season finale will be their first of two meets in the month of October. The Purple and White will head to Texas A&M to compete in the Arturo Barrios Invitational on Oct. 16. It will mark the fifth year the Texans have participated in the event and the sixth year in a row that the Texans have traveled to College Station. It will also serve as a preview for the South Central Region Championships as the Watts Cross Country Course is also the site of the regional meet. The Texans final meet of the month will occur at the UAC Cross Country Championships hosted by Eastern Kentucky. The race will take place at the University Club at Arlington in Richmond, Kent. on Oct. 30.

After the conference meet, the Texans will compete at the South Central Regional Championships in College Station, Texas on Nov. 13. All teams in the South Central Region will compete for the top spots in the region to earn a berth at the NCAA Division I National Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. on Nov. 21. 

The Texan cross country season is less than a month away. Be sure to follow @tarletontrackxc on Instagram and X for the latest updates, highlights and content.