Poughkeepsie, NY - The Vassar College Men's and Women's Cross Country teams will begin the 2026 campaign on the campus of Bard College for the Fred Pavlich Invitational on Saturday morning before hosting its lone home meet of the season next Saturday at the Preserve at Vassar.

WOMEN'S TEAM AT A GLANCE

• The Brewers are the three-time defending Liberty League Champions heading into the 2026 season as Vassar dominated the race, finishing with 35 points with the St. Lawrence finishing second with 69 points.
• Vassar once again earned an at-large team bid to the NCAA Division III Championships and earned its first-ever top 10 finish at the national championship.
• Senior Haley Schoenegge returns after earning a second All-American honor at the NCAA Championships last season and placed second overall to collect First Team All-Liberty League honors.
• Vassar returns six of its seven All-Liberty League honorees from a season ago as Schoenegge and fellow senior Adelaide Nyhan tabbed First Team honors.
• The Brewers welcome back Second Team All-Liberty League finishers in seniors Acadia Helfand and Cayley Swaim along with Honorable Mention honorees in junior Chloe Bibula and senior Norah Reade.
• VC also sees eight more returners from last season as juniors Lizzie Lowe, Hadley Snell and Sarah France and sophomores Malaika Dechet-Wetzel, Taylor Vogt, Emerson Wyatt, Cate Feudtner and Finola Jackson will all look to add to a strong core in 2026.
• The Brewers were victorious in two meets a season ago while also collecting three runner-up team finishes.

NEWCOMERS

• The Brewers add six first-years to the mix in 2026 as Grace Aplin, Delaney Aronson, Jeannette Manseau, Lila Morley, Avery Palmore and Eden Panchison will look to supply instant impact.

NATIONAL/REGIONAL RANKINGS

• The Brewers begin the season ranked seventh nationally by D3GloryDays and 11th by the USTFCCA, ranking as the top Liberty League squad in the preseason polls.
• In the Mideast Regional rankings, Vassar ranks third overall and sits only behind NESCAC foes Williams and Middlebury.

MEN'S TEAM AT A GLANCE

• Vassar recorded a fourth place finish at the Liberty League Championships last season at St. Lawrence.
• Vassar returns both of its All-Liberty League honorees from a season ago as First Team All-Liberty League finisher senior Sean Miller and Second Team All-Liberty League senior Max Frazee both look to lead the Brewers in 2026.
• Miller qualified for the NCAA Championships for the second straight season and recorded a 56th place finish, the highest at the national meet since All-American Colin Sanders in 2006.
• Vassar also sees the return of top finishers in sophomores Jay Borland and Jack Brilliant along with other key finishers in junior Zeke DeMercurio, sophomore Maslen L'Esperance, sophomore Riley Magill, sophomore Rafael Mellow-Bartels and sophomore Lincoln Neiswender.
• VC recorded six top-10 team finishes a season ago, including a runner-up finish at the Vassar Season Starter and two third place finishes at the Ron Stonitsch Invitational and the Fred Pavlich Invitational.
• The Brewers tallied an eighth place finish at the Mideast Regional meet with Miller finishing 16th overall in a career-best time and earned All-Region status.

NEWCOMERS

• The Brewers will look to sophomore Ethan Spritzer and first years Anis Abidar, Nick Akita, Autumn Higa, Wes Ludwigson, Andrew Marrone and Wyatt Powers to provide immediate impact in 2026.

REGIONAL RANKINGS

• Vassar sits ninth in the Mideast Regional rankings to begin the season and is the third Liberty League school in the poll (RPI #1, St. Lawrence #7).

THE SCHEDULE

• Following the Fred Pavlich Invitational on Saturday, Vassar will host the annual Ron Stonitsch Invitational on Saturday, September 12 at the Preserve at Vassar.
• The Brewers then travel to the RPI Fairgrounds Showdown on September 26 before traveling out to Carleton College in Minnesota for the Pre-National Invitational on October 3.
• Vassar will head to the Conn College Invitational on October 17 as the final meet before the Liberty League Championship, hosted by Bard, on October 31.
• The NCAA Mideast Regional meet is set for November 14 at Wickham Park in Manchester, CT and the NCAA National Championships will take place on November 21 at Carleton College.