FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 30, 2026) – For the first time since 2012, Northern Arizona cross country will play host to the Big Sky Conference Championships in Flagstaff on Friday, Oct. 30at Buffalo Park.
The men will race 8km at 10 a.m., followed by the women at 11 a.m. with the 5km race. Live results will be available at this link.
The 2026 Big Sky Cross Country Championships will be free for all fans to attend. Parking will be allowed along the road at the entrance to Buffalo PArk on a first come, first serve basis. Overflow spectator parking is available at the Elks Lodge (2101 N San Francisco St., Flagstaff, AZ 86001) with shuttle transportation to and from the lot beginning at 8:45 a.m.
The Lumberjacks will look to continue their streak of league titles with an added advantage, competing in front of their home crowd. The women's team has claimed the last seven Big Sky titles, and the men have won the last five consecutive championships.
For Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Jarred Cornfield, bringing the conference's biggest meet of the season to Flagstaff is exciting. It's an opportunity to share the programs' success with a community that is connected to the sport.
"Its been a long time and I'm really excited for the conference championships to not only be in Flagstaff, but to have the NAU fans out there," said Cornfield. "We've had a lot of success in this program and we don't get to compete at home very often with how our sport is designed, so to get to share a championship with our community is definitely at the top of my list."
With an influx of new recruits, the women's team has depth to offer like never before. At the Nuttycombe Invitational earlier this month, the A team placed third, and the B team won the meet. The depth of the team will provide crucial, as the women pursue an eighth consecutive title.
At last year's conference championship in Bozeman, Mont., the Lumberjacks nearly swept the top five spots, totaling a team score of 16 points. Hayley Burns led four runners in the top four and Payton Godsey rounded out the team scoring in sixth place.
Meanwhile, the men's side will feature a younger squad, with many of the team's runners preparing to make their conference debut. Despite its youth, the squad aims to continue the culture of success established by the program.
The NAU men return three of its top five runners from last year's Big Sky title winning squad highlighted by Emmanuel Perez, who placed third overall. Erik Le Roux and Ethan Godsey placed fourth and seventh overall respectively.
While Buffalo Park is a frequent training ground for the 'Jacks, racing there is an entirely different challenge. Sitting above 7,000 feet in elevation, the course demands a different level of preparation and approach.
"Typically we're going down in altitude for these meets," said Cornfield. "Yes, we run at Buffalo Park a lot, but we're not necessarily running race kinds of efforts and paces up there, so we have implemented a couple of things to prepare for that loop at the intensity that's going to be required."
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