The 2026 cross country season got underway this weekend with 10 of the league's 11 schools competing across the country. 

Men's Runner of the Week: Travis Gaffney, Bradley
Travis Gaffney earned his first career race victory in the men's 6K race at the Sam Bell Invitational, hosted by Indiana University, in Bloomington, Ind. The junior from Brockville, Ontario, clocked 18:10.2 in the season-opening race, placing first by just three-tenths of a second. Gaffney's race victory marked his third top-five finish in his last seven cross country races, dating to last season. Gaffney led the Braves to a first-place finish as a team, scoring 23 points to finish 11 points ahead of the hosts, Indiana.
 
Women's Runner of the Week: Noelle Steines, Bradley
Noelle Steines recorded a second-place finish in the women's 4K race at the Sam Bell Invitational, hosted by Indiana University, in Bloomington, Ind. The sophomore from Tipton, Iowa, set a new personal-best time of 13:30.2, besting her prior 4K personal best by 23 seconds. The finish was also her first career top-two finish, besting her prior best of third place at last year's MVC Championship. Steines led the Braves to a second-place standing as a team, scoring 36 points to finish 15 points behind Indiana and 45 points ahead of third-place Ball State.