OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City's perennial Sooner Athletic Conference powerhouse cross country teams launch the 2026 season this week with hopes of successfully defending their conference titles.
 
The OCU men have won the last nine SAC championships and 12 of the last 13, while the women's team has won the last two and 10 of the last 11.
 
Ayenew Devany was an All-American and SAC individual champion last season and leads a pack of strong returners on the men's team this season. Also back are All-SAC runners Riley Randall, Carson Patten, Ryan McLaughlin and Braydon Whitthorne.
 
"Starting this season, we have a lot of returners," said OCU Head Coach Andrew Leahey. "I believe this will be one of our more competitive teams, shooting for that national's team spot. Everyone will be adding something to the table. Key components on the men's: Riley Randall, Ayenew Devany, Carson Patten, Ryan McLaughlin, Cooper Phillips, Jackson Fowler, and Braydon Whitthorne are returning veterans and will be setting the foundation and expectations for this team."
 
The women's team brings back All-Conference runners Kenzi Readnour, Isabella Gutierrez and Keira Readnour as well as Mattie Adams, Kamryn Boller and Isabelle Spiller.
 
"On the women's side, Belle Spiller, Bella Gutierrez, Kenzi Readnour, and Keira Readnour are returning and coming in stronger than ever," said Leahey. "Mattie Adams and Kamryn Boller are making some great comebacks and show great promise in contributing to this team."
 
The teams have added strength with newcomers. Joining the men's team are transfers Marius Delchard and Carter Fesler and freshmen Jorge Quinonez, Drew Reed, Noah Thayer, Carlton Waiguru and Nelin Kimery.
 
"This year, with our newcomers on the men's side, Marius Delchard, Carter Fesler, Noah Thayer, Nelin Kimery, Jorge Quinonez, and Drew Reed are running strong," said Leahey. "Marius Delchard and Noah Thayer will be fighting for that national spot. Carter Fesler is back from an injury from his previous school, and he will be a factor later this season."
 
Freshmen Ella Morrison and Toni Ibarra join the women's team.
 
Both Ella Morrison and Toni Ibarra are very strong runners, and as they continue to develop, we will see how they compete," Leahey said. "They are both training with our returning girls step for step."
 
With the good mix of talent, the Stars hope to continue their upward trajectory.
 
"Our goals this year stay the same," Leahey said. "We want to protect our SAC titles on the men's and women's side and increase our national ranking. Expectations for freshmen are to just acclimate to the new training, and if they receive it well, we can definitely expect to see some freshmen on the national squad."
 
The team is prepared to meet some challenges along the way, especially from an emerging SAC field.
 
"We have some challengers in our conference," Leahey said. "We will see how the season pans out, but on the men's side, Mid-America Christian and John Brown will prove to be tough competitors, which is a challenge we welcome dearly. On the Women's side John Brown has a fantastic women's team that we will need to be diligent of. MACU and College of the Ozarks have done some good recruiting, so we will see how things pan out there. Once rankings come out, we will be able to see more of what we may be working with."
 
The Stars begin the season on Thursday at Rogers State's Distance After Dark event.
 
Running for the OCU women at 10 p.m. will be Adams, Boller, Gutierrez, Ibarra, Morrison, Spiller and the Readnour twins. For the men at 10:30, Delchard, Fowler, Phillips, Quinonez, Reed, Thayer and Waiguru are in the contest.