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Kenyon College Athletics

Lucie Prior
Elisa Ayungua

2026 women's cross country preview

GAMBIER, Ohio – The Kenyon College women's cross country team will enter the upcoming 2026 season with a little deeper and more experienced roster. The 2025 roster, which had 10 runners, including just one senior, is being overwritten by a 2026 roster that includes 13 runners. Seven of those 13 are upperclasswomen and that group is complemented by a first-year class of five.
 
2025 Review
Kenyon placed fifth in last season's North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championship, which was up one spot over the two previous seasons' sixth-place showings. Senior Anna Brown led the charge at the conference meet, capturing the runner-up spot in the field of 86 runners. Junior Olivia Ide was next for the Owls, taking 25th place. Following the conference championship, the 2025 Kenyon women went on to place 16th out of 37 teams at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Championship. That finish marked the program's best regional result since the 2021 team placed 15th. Ide, who was Kenyon's second-fastest runner at the conference meet, took charge at the regional, placing 47th among 260 runners and missing all-region honors by less than 20 seconds. 

Coaching Staff
Kirk Shellhouse returns as the head coach of the Owls' cross country squads for his fourth season. His tenure has been marked by steady success and, during his previous three seasons, he had three women earn All-NCAC honors, including Brown and Ide. Shellhouse will get some assistance from John Gogle, who is now in his fourth season with the program and will serve as a volunteer assistant in 2026. 

"We are very excited for the upcoming cross country campaign for both our men's and women's squads," Shellhouse said. "The women have wonderful senior leadership with a fresh group of talented newcomers joining the ranks. On the men's side, we look to recharge with a hard-working young group." 

Preseason Polls
Although the NCAC coaches do not vote for preseason rankings, they do vote a week prior to the conference championship race. Looking back on 2025, the Owls were picked, by conference coaches, to finish sixth, but finished one spot better, taking fifth.

Returning All-Conference Honorees
Brown was Kenyon's lone All-NCAC runner in 2025, with Ide just missing out. Ide, however, did gain all-conference recognition as a first-year in 2023, so she'll be looking to bookend that accomplishment toward the end of the 2026 campaign.

Returning Statistical Leaders
Ide, again, is a part of this group. Brown did lead all Kenyon runners in five of six events last season, but Ide was the top Kenyon finisher at the regional championship and finished as the second Kenyon runner to cross the line in the previous two races. Fellow returning runners Lucie Prior and Cassidy Kaler, both juniors, will back up Ide, as will senior Hannah Gross.  
  
Schedule Overview
  • Season and home opener: Friday, September 4, hosting the Port Kenyon Opener
  • NCAC Championship: Saturday, October 31 at Oberlin College 
  • NCAA Regional Championship: Saturday, November 14 in East Lansing, Michigan
How to Follow
Fans can follow Kenyon men's cross country throughout the season via the following links: 
 
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