MIDWAY, Ky. -- A new season gets underway for Midway Cross Country on Friday as the men's and women's teams travel north to Marion, Indiana, to compete in the IWU Twilight Invitational.

Head coach Jay Walls and the Eagles enter the 2026 campaign with a mix of experienced returners and newcomers on both sides as they look to build toward the River States Conference Championships later this fall.

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY

The Midway men's squad returns seven runners from last year's team in Connor Byrd, Noah Hampton, Adam Higgs, Jonathan Kocis, Lance Logan, Carson Milner and Steven Meyer.

Milner highlights the group of returners after being named one of the RSC Men's Cross Country Runners to Watch entering the 2026 season.

The senior from Walton, Kentucky, is coming off a strong junior campaign that saw him qualify for the NAIA Cross Country National Championship. Milner placed fourth at the RSC Championship to earn First Team All-Conference honors before finishing 80th at the national meet.

It marked the second All-Conference honor of his career after earning Third Team honors as a sophomore.

Walls also welcomes five newcomers to the men's roster in Chance Collins, Aiden Forthman, Jesse Madden, Finley Mayoh and Riley Morris.

Collins joins Milner on the RSC Runners to Watch list as he begins his collegiate career with the Eagles. The Leslie County product arrives at Midway after winning a KHSAA Class 1A state championship in the 3,200 meters during his high school career.

The Eagles are coming off a 2025 season in which they opened the year with a victory at the Eagle Opener and recorded five top-five team finishes throughout the campaign.

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY

The Midway women's team will feature a new-look roster in 2026 with two runners returning from last year's squad.

Ariah Egleston and Stevie McSorley return for the Eagles, while Egleston was selected as an RSC Runner to Watch entering the season.

A former Second Team All-Conference selection, Egleston enters the year with a career-best 6K time of 24:20.1.

Five newcomers join the women's program this fall in Jaelynn Anderson, Katelynn Gaddis, Lexus Ralph, Andrea Smith and Sabrina Sturgill.

Ralph gives the Eagles another experienced runner after transferring from Georgetown College (Ky.). The senior and Owensboro, Kentucky, native was also selected as an RSC Runner to Watch and owns a career-best 6K time of 25:03.8.

IWU TWILIGHT INVITATIONAL

Midway will send 17 runners to the starting line Friday evening, with 11 competing in the men's race and six in the women's race.

The women's 6K will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the men's 8K at 6:40 p.m. Both races will take place at the IWU Cross Country Course, located just south of the Indiana Wesleyan University campus.

Friday will mark Midway's first appearance at the IWU Twilight Invitational since 2024.

The Midway men finished 10th with 283 points in their last trip to Marion, with Milner leading the way with a top-20 individual finish.

On the women's side, the Eagles placed 17th with 443 points. Egleston posted Midway's top performance, placing 64th with a time of 25:04.41.

The Eagles will face a loaded field in their season opener with 13 nationally ranked teams scheduled to compete between the men's and women's races.

Six top-25 programs are featured on the men's side, led by No. 1 Cumberlands and No. 2 Indiana Wesleyan. No. 8 Marian, No. 11 Taylor, No. 18 Rio Grande and No. 22 Cornerstone are also scheduled to compete.

The women's field features seven nationally ranked programs, including No. 1 Taylor, No. 5 Cornerstone, No. 6 Marian, No. 9 Indiana Wesleyan, No. 11 Cumberlands, No. 15 Grace and No. 24 Rio Grande.

Bethel (Ind.), Cumberland (Tenn.), Huntington (Ind.), Indiana Tech, Lindsey Wilson, Macomb Community College, St. Clair County Community College and Southwestern Michigan Junior College are among the other programs scheduled to compete.

Competing for the Eagles

Men: Connor Byrd, Chance Collins, Aiden Forthman, Noah Hampton, Adam Higgs, Jonathan Kocis, Lance Logan, Jesse Madden, Finley Mayoh, Carson Milner, Riley Morris.

Women: Ariah Egleston, Katelynn Gaddis, Stevie McSorley, Lexus Ralph, Andrea Smith, Sabrina Sturgill.

About Midway University Athletics

Midway University competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and its 29 athletics teams are part of the River States Conference, Mid-South Conference, the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association, and USA Archery. For more information about Midway University Athletics, please visit www.gomidwayeagles.com or contact Tyler Beck at 859-846-5366.