SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (July 14, 2026) – The Western New England men's and women's cross country teams have released their 2026 fall schedules on Tuesday afternoon, which consists of eight meets, including the iconic home meet in mid-October. 

The 2026 season kicks off at the only new meet of the season for the Golden Bears, as both squads open at Bard College for the Fred Pavlich Invitational at Montgomery Park. This is the first time in program history that the Golden Bears have started the season at Bard. The Fred Pavlich Invitational will take place on Saturday, September 5, beginning at 8:00 AM. The remainder of the 2026 schedule for both the men's and women's cross country teams is the same as the 2025 schedule. Next on the schedule for WNE is the Elms College Blazer Classic at Chicopee Memorial State Park. The races will take place on Saturday, September 12, beginning at 10:00 AM. Both the Western New England men's and women's teams took first place last season at the event overall. September concludes with the UMass Dartmouth Invitational at the Robert Dowd Cross Country Course on Saturday, September 19.

The month of October begins with two consecutive road meets, opening with a race at Keene State College for the Keene State Invitational at the Owl Athletic Complex on Saturday, October 3. This is the third straight season the Golden Bears will venture to New Hampshire for the KSC Invite, with the men's team improving its placement to 16^th overall last season. WNE heads a short distance west to Westfield State University for the annual James Earley Invitational at Stanley Park. A staple on the Western New England cross country schedules each year, the men's squad took seventh place last season, marking their best finish in program history at the event, while the Western New England women took sixth place in 2025, also a program-best finish. Following the meet, the Golden Bears will host their own Western New England Invitational, another marquee event on the schedule, taking place on Saturday, October 17. The women's race will take place at 10:00 AM, while the men's race begins at 11:00 AM at the starting line of Southwood Field. 

Postseason begins following the Western New England Invitational, with two meets scheduled. The Golden Bears will travel to Keney Park in Hartford, Connecticut, for the Conference of New England (CNE) Championships on Saturday, October 31. The women's team took sixth overall last season at the event, while the men's team finished in seventh overall. From there, qualifying student-athletes will participate in the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships at Wickham Park in Manchester, Connecticut, hosted by Trinity College (Conn.). The two races will take place on Saturday, November 14. Last year, a total of 13 Golden Bears participated in this race. 

To view the full 2026 men's cross country schedule, click here. 

To view the full 2026 women's cross country schedule, click here.