The University of Jamestown men's and women's cross-country teams are set to open their seasons on Friday, September 4 at the Augustana Twilight Invitational.
 
Both teams had a solid showing in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference during the 2025 season in what was their first year in the conference and first as members of NCAA Division-II. The men finished 10^th after being selected 12^th in the preseason poll while the women finished sixth with a preseason expectation of 11^th. In the NSIC preseason poll, both teams were selected to finish in the same spot they finished in the NSIC championships last season with the men 10^th and women sixth.
 
The Team (Men)
 
The Jimmie men return four of their top five runners from a season ago. Cole Campbell, a talented athlete who is also a member of the golf team in addition to the cross country and track and field teams, was consistently one of the top two finishers in 2025. The then-junior finished in 12^th place at the DSU Blue Hawk Invitational to help the Jimmies take second place out of five teams in that meet. Campbell later had a season-best time in the 8K course at the NSIC Championship where he posted a time of 26:53.1 and was the top UJ finisher in the meet at 43^rd place overall.
 
Also returning to the fold is Aaron Devine. Devine finished 15^th in the DSU Blue Hawk Invitational and set a career best time at the Dordt Holiday Inn Express Classic, notching 26:13.4 on the 8K course and setting a new personal record by nearly 37 seconds. The freshman was 55^th in the NSIC Championships with a time of 27:15.6.
 
Noah Saylor and Braeden Kinzler will come back in the Orange and Black after each raced in all five cross-country meets in 2025, finishing top five on the team in each of them.
 
Another runner to look out for is Clark Lortscher. The Junior redshirted last season but was one of the top finishers for the Jimmies in 2024. Lortscher has a career-best time of 26:48.4 on an 8K course and finished 10^th the 2024 North Star Athletic Association Cross Country Championships with a time of 27:10.8.
 
A few freshmen will make to Jamestown for 2026, looking to make a mark on the course in their first year. The three members of the freshman class are Tanner Baerlocher (Uniontown, Wash.), Solomon Burchill (Page, N.D.), and Jayden Schwan (Groton, S.D.).
 
The Team (Women)
 
The Jimmie women are looking strong heading into the 2026 season as well, with each of the top three, and four of the top five finishers in the 2025 NSIC Championship coming back to Jamestown.
 
Lydia Franson highlights the returners after a stellar freshman season in 2025. Franson was the top finisher at each of UJ's five meets, outright winning the DSU Blue Hawks Invitational in her second collegiate meet with a time of 22:43.4 in the 3.73-mile-long course. The Cottage Grove, Minn. native posted a career-best 6K time with 21:58.9 at the Dordt Holliday Inn Express Classic and then finished her season earning Second Team All-NSIC honors by finishing in 16^th place with a time of 22:40.0 at the NSIC championships, becoming just the third freshman in the conference to cross the finish line.
 
Right behind Franson at the 2025 NSIC Championship was Allyson Goodmanson. The now-junior finished top four on the Jimmies in each of Jamestown's five races in 2025. Goodmanson posted a personal best in the 6K at the Dordt Holliday Inn Express Classic with a time of 23:02.6. The North Dakota native posted a time of 23:52.6 at the NSIC Championship to earn 44^th place.  
 
Other key returners include Hallie Person, Kari Patterson, and Kirsten Vander Kooi which were all scorers from a season ago.
 
Annabelle LaFary (Delavan, Ill.), Abigail Kucera (Jamestown, N.D.), and Aurora Schumacher (Perham, Minn.) represent the Jamestown freshman class.
 
The Staff
 
Director of Cross Country and Track and Field, Jarvis Jelen will lead both the men's and women's cross-country teams in what will be his fourth season overseeing the two cross country teams. Since Jelen took over, the Jamestown cross country teams have seen significant success both in terms of performance and roster sizes.
 
Both the men's and women's cross-country rosters have tripled in size since Jelen took the reigns of the program. Jelen has now led the Jimmies through the Great Plains Athletic Conference, the NSAA, and now the NSIC at the NCAA D-II level. In addition to both teams exceeding NSIC preseason expectations last season, Jelen's women's cross country team finished in 2^nd in the NSAA back in 2024, and he has also coached seven all-conference players and a national qualifier during his tenure.
 
Supporting Jelen will be graduate assistants Jack Hislop and Karly Just.
 
The Schedule
 
The Jimmie men and women will compete in the same races for the 2026, beginning with Augustana Twilight Invitational this Friday, September 4 at Yankton Trails Park.
 
After a couple of weekends off, Jamestown will head back to Sioux Falls for the Augustana Invitational (9/25) again at Yankton Trails Park.
 
Next will be a home meet with the Jimmie Invite taking place at the Parkhurst Campground in Jamestown (10/2).
 
The final regular season race will be the Marauders Open at McDowell Dam in Bismarck (10/23).
 
Two weekends later, UJ will be back at Yankton Trails Park in Sioux Falls (11/7) for the NSIC Championship.
 
Finally, with the University of Jamestown being approved for full NCAA D-II membership this past summer, the Jimmies will be eligible for the NCAA D-II Central Region Championship held at Yankton Trails Park on November 21, with members of the NSIC, Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, and the Great American Conference all competing in Sioux Falls.
 
Should either Jamestown or any individuals qualify, the NCAA D-II Cross Country Championship will take place on December 4 at Rim Rock in Lawrence, Kan.   
 
For all results and news regarding Jimmie cross country, be sure to stay up to date at jimmiepride.com.