BALTIMORE, Md. (September 3, 2026) -- The Morgan State men's and women's cross country teams are set to open their 2026 season Friday morning at the University of Delaware Invitational in Newark, Delaware.

The women's team will kick off the day's competition with a 5K race scheduled for 8:30 a.m. The men's team will follow with a 6K race, which is slated to begin at approximately 9:15 a.m.

The season opener will be held at White Clay Creek State Park, Delaware's largest and most well-known state park.

"The team has been in training for about two short weeks, and they have been getting better every day," said Morgan State head coach Hodge. "Our first meet at the University of Delaware Invitational will give us an idea of where we are as a team and how we move forward with our new additions. It is a fairly quick course for the men, with a 6K race distance to open the season, while the women will compete in the regular 5K race.

"We expect to continue to improve and get some quality mileage in leading up to the MEAC Championship at the end of October, where we want to be at our best."

Friday's meet marks the first of five regular-season competitions on Morgan State's 2026 schedule. Following the Delaware Invitational, the Bears will compete at the Delaware State Invitational on Sept. 11 in Smyrna, Delaware, before traveling to Princess Anne, Maryland, for the UMES Soaring Hawks Invitational on Sept. 19.

Morgan State will return to competition in October at the Richmond Invitational on Oct. 2 in Mechanicsville, Virginia, before closing out its regular-season schedule at the Aubrey Shenk Invitational on Oct. 17 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

The Bears will then turn their attention to the 2026 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championship, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 30, in Cary, North Carolina. Morgan State will look to cap its season by competing for conference supremacy against the league's top programs.

 
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 150 baccalaureate, master's degree, doctorate, and certificate programs. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.