Men's Cross Country | 09.03.2026

LUBBOCK, Texas (September 3, 2026) – The 2026 Lubbock Christian cross country season opens on Friday as the LCU men and women compete at the Aggie Duels hosted by Cameron in Lawton, Oklahoma.
 
It is a new era for the school's cross country program, as Nicholas Rivera took over as head coach over the summer. Most recently, he was at Artesia High School for four years, where he captured seven district titles. His own collegiate career was at Texas Tech, where he was a two-time Big 12 Champion in the 800-meter.
 
Rivera takes over a program on the rise. LCU's men placed sixth at last year's Lone Star Conference Championships, which was their highest finish since 2019. The Chaps followed that up with a 20^th-place performance at the NCAA South Central Regional. On the women's side, LCU finished eighth at the conference meet in 2025, one spot better than their 2024 finish.
 
The Chaparrals were picked to finish sixth in the 2026 LSC Preseason Poll, which is voted on by coaches and sports information directors throughout the league. They drew 233 points in the poll, just behind the host of this weekend's meet, Cameron.
 
Seniors Matthew Gordon and Alfons Rawall were picked as Runners to Watch on the men's side. Rawall was the team's top finisher at last year's conference championships, setting an 8K personal best and placing 23^rd individually.
 
The only other senior on the 2026 squad is Elijah Culver. The rest of the roster is made up of two juniors, two sophomores and 11 freshmen.
 
On the women's side, there is only one senior and only two returners overall from the 2025 roster. Keely Franco is the lone senior on the roster and the only other returner is Lily Rodriguez. There are no juniors, two more sophomores and five freshmen on the team.
 
Rodriguez was one LCU's scoring runners at the LSC Championships last season, posting a time of 24:55.38 in the 6K race. She was picked as an LSC Runner to Watch. LCU's other Runner to Watch is another sophomore but is new to the Lady Chaps this season. Reese Pena is a Lubbock native and graduate of Lubbock High School, but spent her freshman year at the Air Force Academy. The Lady Chaps were picked to finish eighth in the LSC Preseason Poll. 
 
Friday's meet is the first of four in the regular season for Lubbock Christian, all leading up to the Lone Star Conference Championships on Nov. 7, which will be hosted at the LCU Cross Country Course. LCU will also host the NCAA South Central Regional Championships on Nov. 21.