ARLINGTON, Texas – UT Arlington's cross country schedule for the upcoming 2026 season is set. The Mavericks are once again scheduled to compete in six meets.
UTA is currently slated to participate in four meets during the regular season. The Mavericks cap off the slate with the United Athletics Conference Cross Country Championships and NCAA South Central Regionals.
Three of UTA's regular season meets keep the Mavericks in Texas, the exception being the 38th Annual Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival in Arkansas. UTA also stays in state for the South Central Regionals, while the UAC Championships take place in Kentucky.
The Mavericks open the season on Sept. 4 with a short trek to Fort Worth for the John McKenzie Invitational hosted by TCU. It is one of two meets in the month of September for UTA. The Mavericks previously opened the 2023 and 2024 cross country seasons at the John McKenzie as well.
UTA sticks in Fort Worth for its next meet as the Mavericks once again host the Gerald Richey UTA Invitational. The 2026 iteration is set to take place on Sept. 11 at Rolling Hills Soccer Complex in Fort Worth after the 2025 meet took place at the Harold Patterson Sports Complex in Arlington.
After a reprieve through the end of September, UTA returns to competition on Oct. 3 at the 38th Annual Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival hosted by the Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Mavericks have been a mainstay at the event, participating in four of the last five seasons with the lone exception coming in 2024.
Wrapping up the regular season is an Oct. 16 trip to College Station for the Arturo Barrios Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M. The Arturo Barrios has been a staple of the Mavericks schedule; UTA has participated in the meet every year since 2018.
The postseason begins with the Mavericks competing for the first time at the UAC Cross Country Championships, which are set for October 30th in Richmond, Kentucky.
UTA finishes the season as a team on Nov. 13 with a trip to College Station for the NCAA South Central Regionals. The NCAA Cross Country Championships are hosted by Indiana State this season and take place Nov. 21 in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Dorcas Jepkosgei featured as UTA's lone representative at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2025. The then-freshman finished with a time of 20:08.9 in the 6k, placing her 136th in a field of 261 finishers.
Full Schedule
Sept. 4 | John McKenzie Invitational | Fort Worth, Texas
Sept. 11 | Gerald Richey UTA Invitational | Fort Worth, Texas
Oct. 3 | 38th Annual Chile Pepper Festival | Fayetteville, Ark.
Oct. 16 | Arturo Barrios Invitational | College Station, Texas
Oct. 30 | UAC Conference Championships | Richmond, Ky.
Nov. 13 | NCAA South Central Regionals | College Station, Texas
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