HARTFORD, Conn. - The Trinity College men's and women's cross country teams return to the course in 2026 looking to build on a pair of competitive 2025 campaigns. Both squads finished 10th at the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championships last fall before competing at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Championships, with the women finishing 10th and the men placing 11th in their respective regional fields. With several key contributors returning on both sides, the Bantams enter the new season with a strong blend of championship experience and young talent.

• The Trinity women's cross country team returns a deep group of experienced runners after finishing 10th at the 2025 NESCAC Championship and 10th at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Championship. The Bantams return six runners from last year's NCAA Regional lineup, including four of the team's top five finishers.
• Senior Paige Jaenicke headlines the returning group after leading Trinity throughout much of the 2025 season. Jaenicke opened last season by claiming individual medalist honors at the George Suitor Invitational at Wickham Park, winning the 5K in 19:25.8. She went on to lead the Bantams at the NCAA Mideast Regional, finishing 30th out of 185 runners in 22:54.5.
• Jaenicke will be joined by fellow seniors Ava Del Vescovo, Zoe Maggioni, and Annabell Sorensen, giving Trinity a veteran presence at the top of the roster. Del Vescovo was one of the team's five runners inside the top 100 at last year's NCAA Regional, finishing 97th in 25:16.3, while Maggioni finished 110th in 25:40.9.
• The Bantams also return a strong junior class led by Paige Orr, Piper Morris, and Lauren Hunt. Orr was Trinity's second finisher at the 2025 NCAA Regional, placing 60th in 23:42.9, while Morris finished 81st in 24:30.1. Hunt added a 109th-place finish in 25:38.9.
• Orr and Del Vescovo also turned in strong performances at the Connecticut College Invitational late in the 2025 regular season. Orr finished the 6K in 23:31, followed by Del Vescovo in 23:39, while Morris crossed in 24:38.
• Along with its experienced upperclassmen, Trinity returns several younger runners who gained valuable collegiate racing experience last season, including Mei-Ling Bielagus, Rio Gladchun, Anez Gomez, Molly McGinley, Margaret Spuler, and Nora Butterly. The Bantams also welcome a group of first-year runners to a 2026 roster that features 21 student-athletes.
• The Trinity men's cross country team returns an experienced group after placing 10th at the 2025 NESCAC Championship before finishing 11th out of 26 teams at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional. Trinity returns all seven members of its 2025 NCAA Regional lineup, giving the Bantams a significant amount of championship experience entering the 2026 season.
• Junior Tyler Johnson leads the returning group after emerging as one of Trinity's top runners throughout the 2025 season. Johnson paced the Bantams at both championship meets, finishing 44th at the NESCAC Championship in 25:40 before placing 47th at the NCAA Regional in 26:34.1.
• Sophomore Nielsen Kasser also returns after an impressive first collegiate season. Kasser finished just behind Johnson at the NCAA Regional, placing 48th overall in 26:35.3, while junior Jack Blanchfield followed in 59th with a time of 27:00.7.
• Senior Dolan Pols brings additional championship experience to the Bantams after finishing 76th at the NCAA Regional in 27:29.1. Pols also placed 100th at the NESCAC Championship with a time of 26:37.
• The returning group extends beyond the team's top four from Regionals. Juniors Timothy Hamilton and Brendan Burm, along with sophomore Mark Kanner, all competed at the NCAA Regional last season. Hamilton finished 106th in 28:07.3, Kanner was 112th in 28:12.4, and Burm placed 123rd in 28:43.6.
• Jack Hutchins and Evan Small also return after strong performances during the 2025 season. Hutchins led Trinity at the George Suitor Invitational, finishing seventh overall in 16:53.9 on the 5K course. Small followed in 17:04.8, while Johnson and Burm also finished inside the top 25.
• The Bantams' returning depth also includes seniors Teddy Salamone and Alex Willard, as well as sophomores Lysander Duffield, Brendan Nolan, Xavier Ohl, and Aaron Roberts and junior Andrew Petropulos. Trinity also welcomes a group of first-year runners, including Thomas Basinger, Noah Borges, Alexander Hammar, Luke Howard, Mohamed Mohamed, Brian Smith, and Douglas Smith.
• With the majority of last year's championship lineup returning, the Bantams enter 2026 with an experienced group that has already competed against some of the region's top programs. The challenge now will be continuing that development and translating last year's championship experience into another step forward this fall.

 
Both Trinity squads will open the 2026 season at the George Suitor Invitational at Wickham Park in Manchester, Connecticut, on Saturday, September 12. The women will race at 10:30 a.m., followed by the men at 11:15 a.m. The Bantams will then compete at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational on September 19, before returning to major championship preparation with the Paul Short Run and Keene State Invitational in early October. Both teams will race at the Connecticut College Invitational on October 17, setting the stage for the championship portion of the season. The NESCAC Championship will take place at Middlebury College on October 31, before Trinity welcomes the region's top Division III programs to Connecticut for the 2026 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Championship on November 14 at Wickham Park in Manchester.

The Bantams teams will look to use their returning championship experience, along with a talented group of newcomers, to build throughout the fall and put themselves in position to compete at their best when the championship season arrives.