PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Houghton University's men's and women's cross country teams opened the 2026 season Friday at the 8th Annual St. John Fisher Rodenbeck Invitational, with both squads earning top-five finishes at the St. John Fisher Old Golf Course. The Highlander women placed fifth in the 4K with 125 points, while the men finished third in the 6K with 113 points.
Women's Cross Country
Emberlynn Nolt led the Highlanders with a fourth-place finish in the women's 4K, crossing the line in 15:30.5. She finished just over a second behind the race runner-up and was the top Houghton finisher by more than 47 seconds.
Aria Larson followed in 19th at 16:17.6, while Jenna Binney finished 27th in 16:36.6. McKenzie Ennis placed 46th in 17:25.3, and Gwenna Haas rounded out Houghton's scoring five in 60th at 18:04.5.
Houghton finished fifth among eight teams with 125 points, posting a 1–5 spread of 2:34.1 and an average scoring time of 16:46.9. The Highlanders finished ahead of St. John Fisher, which scored 163 points.
Amy Collins and Peyton Kellogg finished nearly together as Houghton's sixth and seventh runners, posting times of 18:04.7 and 18:04.9, respectively. Miranda Lyon, Delaney Grant and Jenna Fay also finished inside the top 75.
Men's Cross Country
Luke Ellis paced the Highlanders in the men's 6K, placing 18th overall in 20:30.3. Henry Sardina followed in 22nd at 20:42.4, with Connor Little 24th in 20:49.1 and Evan Geer 26th in 20:59.2. Kurt Akins completed Houghton's scoring five in 38th at 21:42.2.
Houghton placed third among nine teams with 113 points, finishing behind Buffalo (19) and SUNY Geneseo (38). The Highlanders recorded a 1–5 spread of 1:12.0 and an average scoring time of 20:56.7.
Ewan McIlhinney and Elijah Strickland finished sixth and seventh for Houghton, crossing in 21:59.3 and 22:02.7, respectively. John Wohlgemuth followed in 47th at 22:09.6, while Lincoln McGrath and Liam Gilroy finished 49th and 50th in 22:26.6 and 22:27.6.
Next Up
The teams are back in action at Hamilton on Saturday, September 12.
