Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Jeff Drenth Memorial
Cross Country Opens 2026 Season at Jeff Drenth Memorial
9/2/2026 12:00:00 PM | Men's XC, Women's XC
Both the men's and women's squads open the 2026 season Friday morning in Shepherd, Mich.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Eastern Michigan's men's and women's cross country programs open the 2026 season Friday, Sept. 4, at the Jeff Drenth Memorial in Shepherd, Mich., with both squads carrying veteran experience and new faces into a meet where the Eagles placed fifth a year ago.
The Jeff Drenth Memorial is hosted by Central Michigan University at Shepherd High School in Shepherd, Mich. The women's race gets underway at 11 a.m., with the men to follow at 11:35 a.m. Live results can be found on the schedule page here once available.
Veteran Leadership
Fifth-year seniors Carson McCoy (Pittsburgh, Pa./Deer Lakes) and Kian Wiles (Hull, England/St. Mary's College) anchor the men's roster heading into the opener. The two bring a combined decade of collegiate experience to a program building toward the postseason.
Third-year Jimmy Geller (London, England/Davenant Foundation School) returns as the team's top finisher from a year ago, when he crossed 14th overall at the 2025 Jeff Drenth Memorial with a personal-best 15:07.5. Geller led seven Eagles who set new personal-best marks in that meet, a strong early-season indicator for a program that finished fifth with 131 points.
On the women's side, fifth-year Sophie Emin (Easton, Pa.) and third-years Liv Hatch (Valparaiso, Ind.), Frankie Moore (Columbia, Md.) and Alynna Wilson (Lebanon, Ohio) all return after competing at last year's Jeff Drenth Memorial. Hatch was the top EMU women's finisher in 2025, placing 27th overall with a time of 18:29.30. Erika Van Loton (Garden City, Mich.), a fourth-year, also returns after finishing 41st in 19:15.60 a year ago. Third-years Christiana Coleman (Pompano Beach, Fla.) and Cora Henderson (Courtice, Ontario) round out the returning upperclasswomen on the women's roster.
New Faces
Junior Blake Rodgers (Belpre, Ohio/Belpre/Wright State) joins the men's program as a transfer, and freshman Mohammed Mohammed (Cary, N.C./Green Level) makes his collegiate debut Friday, one of several new additions looking to contribute from the opening gun.
The women's program welcomes sixth-year Mara Longenecker (Freeland, Mich.) as a transfer from Michigan, along with four first-year athletes: Kaelyn Becken (Perrysburg, Ohio), Mercy Chepkemoi (Molo, Kenya), Kaiya Fujioka (Whitby, Ontario), and Ella Luker (Columbus, Ohio). All five will make their EMU debuts Friday in Shepherd.
Coaching Staff
Austin Whitelaw enters his third season with the Eagles and his first as head coach of both the men's and women's programs. A Monroe, Michigan native, Whitelaw previously served as an assistant and recruiting coordinator at Connecticut and Tennessee before joining EMU. Jenna Zydanowicz is entering her second season with the team and her first in a full-time assistant role overseeing both programs. A three-time team captain at Connecticut, Zydanowicz brings both competitive and administrative experience to the staff.
MAC Preseason Poll
The Mid-American Conference released its 2026 Preseason Cross Country Coaches' Poll on Aug. 27, and Eastern Michigan's men's program was predicted fifth with 50 points in a poll topped by Toledo (81 points, nine first-place votes). The EMU women were tabbed ninth with 48 points in a women's poll also led by Toledo, which collected 121 points and 11 first-place votes.
Up Next
Following Friday's opener, Eastern Michigan returns to action Sept. 11 at the Spartan Invitational in East Lansing, Mich., with a 9:30 a.m. start.
Follow Us
For updates on all things EMU cross country/track & field, continue to check EMUEagles.com or follow the team on Instagram, X, and Facebook at @EMUXC_TF.
