University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Walker Brooks
Cross Country Begins 2026 Campaign At Virginia Invitational
September 10, 2026 | Cross Country
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The 2026 cross country season is set to commence as both the women's and men's programs head north to Panorama Farms in Charlottesville, Va. to compete in the Viriginia Invitational.
Competition in the Old Dominion state will be held on Friday, September 11 and is slated to begin at 8:45 a.m. EST starting with the men's 6k race with the women's 5k following at 9:30 a.m. EST. All race times are subject to change.
This year's men's team will once again be led by Chris Miltenberg while the Tar Heels' women's program is led by first-year head coach Ann Dunn. Miltenberg and Dunn will be assisted by Brodey Hasty who comes to Chapel Hill after a year as an assistant cross-country coach at Lipscomb, aiding the Bisons to a second-place finish at the ASUN Championships.
With history at the course at Panorama Farms, the last time that Carolina competed at the Virginia Invitational was in 2024 when both the women's and men's programs swept the meet.
The Carolina men's program will race alongside programs in host team Virginia as well as William & Mary, Norfolk State, Johns Hopkins and Howard. The Tar Heel women will compete against Atlantic Coast Conference competition in Wake Forest and Virginia in addition to Howard, Johns Hopkins and William & Mary.
NINE NEWCOMERS: The Tar Heels welcome a total of nine newcomers to this year's squad, multiple with experience on some of the biggest stages. Most recently, incoming freshmen Ellie Barada and Joe Martin competed at U20 World Championships in Eugene, Ore. with Barada representing the United States in the women's 800m and Martin competing for New Zealand in the men's 800m. Additional newcomers in Brian Burns and Caden Leonard also boast success throughout their high school years. Burns garnered national attention running a sub-four-minute mile on June 4 of this year, running 3:59.70 at the HOKA Festival of Miles in St. Louis, Mo. As for Leonard, the Southlake, Texas native was named the Texas Gatorade Boys Cross Country Player of the Year during his sophomore year leading to be named an "Elite Runner" by Nike in his final year of high school competition.
PROVEN TRANSFERS: Two transfers join Carolina cross country this season in Camryn Wennersten and Pia Beaulieu. The first of which, Wennersten, began her collegiate cross-country campaign being named to the SoCon All-Freshman team while garnering several accolades in track and field throughout her three years of competition at Furman. Beaulieu comes from Princeton as a dual sport athlete joining the cross country/track and field program after competing with the women's soccer team for four seasons.
PRESEASON EXPECTATIONS: The women's program has already garnered national attention as the Tar Heel squad was tabbed 13th on the USTFCCCA Preseason Poll. The group was tabbed third in the Southeast Region by the organization. In conference conversations, the women's team was slotted third in the ACC while the men filed in at eighth.
Live results from this week's race can be found here.
Competition in the Old Dominion state will be held on Friday, September 11 and is slated to begin at 8:45 a.m. EST starting with the men's 6k race with the women's 5k following at 9:30 a.m. EST. All race times are subject to change.
This year's men's team will once again be led by Chris Miltenberg while the Tar Heels' women's program is led by first-year head coach Ann Dunn. Miltenberg and Dunn will be assisted by Brodey Hasty who comes to Chapel Hill after a year as an assistant cross-country coach at Lipscomb, aiding the Bisons to a second-place finish at the ASUN Championships.
With history at the course at Panorama Farms, the last time that Carolina competed at the Virginia Invitational was in 2024 when both the women's and men's programs swept the meet.
The Carolina men's program will race alongside programs in host team Virginia as well as William & Mary, Norfolk State, Johns Hopkins and Howard. The Tar Heel women will compete against Atlantic Coast Conference competition in Wake Forest and Virginia in addition to Howard, Johns Hopkins and William & Mary.
NINE NEWCOMERS: The Tar Heels welcome a total of nine newcomers to this year's squad, multiple with experience on some of the biggest stages. Most recently, incoming freshmen Ellie Barada and Joe Martin competed at U20 World Championships in Eugene, Ore. with Barada representing the United States in the women's 800m and Martin competing for New Zealand in the men's 800m. Additional newcomers in Brian Burns and Caden Leonard also boast success throughout their high school years. Burns garnered national attention running a sub-four-minute mile on June 4 of this year, running 3:59.70 at the HOKA Festival of Miles in St. Louis, Mo. As for Leonard, the Southlake, Texas native was named the Texas Gatorade Boys Cross Country Player of the Year during his sophomore year leading to be named an "Elite Runner" by Nike in his final year of high school competition.
PROVEN TRANSFERS: Two transfers join Carolina cross country this season in Camryn Wennersten and Pia Beaulieu. The first of which, Wennersten, began her collegiate cross-country campaign being named to the SoCon All-Freshman team while garnering several accolades in track and field throughout her three years of competition at Furman. Beaulieu comes from Princeton as a dual sport athlete joining the cross country/track and field program after competing with the women's soccer team for four seasons.
PRESEASON EXPECTATIONS: The women's program has already garnered national attention as the Tar Heel squad was tabbed 13th on the USTFCCCA Preseason Poll. The group was tabbed third in the Southeast Region by the organization. In conference conversations, the women's team was slotted third in the ACC while the men filed in at eighth.
Live results from this week's race can be found here.
Players Mentioned
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/ Cross Country
Friday, September 11
Wednesday, September 09
Tuesday, September 08
Tuesday, September 08