LEXINGTON, Ky. — The University of Kentucky cross country program announced its 2026 season schedule Wednesday, featuring six total meets beginning with the season opener on September 11 at the Tennessee Invitational in Knoxville.

Under new head coach Tito Medrano, who joined the program in July 2025, the Wildcats will follow their Tennessee opener with trips to Columbia, Missouri, for the Gans Creek Classic on September 25 and the annual SEC Championships on October 30.

The regular season will conclude October 16 at the Pre-National Invitational hosted by Indiana State in Terre Haute, before the Wildcats begin postseason competition. Kentucky will compete in the NCAA Southeast Regional on November 13 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, at the Roger Milliken Center.

The season will culminate November 21 with the NCAA Division I National Championships at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana—the same venue that hosts the Pre-National Invitational earlier in the fall.

Medrano brings extensive experience to the role, having won 12 team conference titles across nine seasons of collegiate coaching and helped 12 student-athletes earn All-American honors.