DePaul Cross Country Heads to Virginia for BIG EAST Championships

Friday, October 30

Mechanicsville, Va.

9:00 A.M.

DePaul University

BIG EAST Championships

10/29/2026 3:28:00 PM | CROSS COUNTRY

Live Stream Live Results Course Map

Blue Demons set sights on strong conference showing following successful regular season

Mechanicsville, Va. – DePaul cross country heads to Mechanicsville, Va., on Friday, Oct. 30, to compete in the 2026 BIG EAST Cross Country Championships at Pole Green Park.

The women's 6K race will begin at 9 a.m. CT, followed by the men's 8K at 9:50 a.m. CT. Both races will be streamed live on ESPN+.

The Blue Demons enter postseason competition following a successful regular season that featured multiple team victories, individual titles and personal bests. With a combination of experienced returners and promising newcomers, both squads will aim to improve upon their finishes at last year's conference meet.

The women's squad will look to climb the conference standings after finishing eighth in 2025. Kalina Urbaniak, Isabella Orozco, Ava Helmbrecht, Tessa Roe, Vivian Wyller, Rosie Gonzalez, Cece Hilby, Sammi Rastrelli and Sara Cordova will represent DePaul in the 6K race.

On the men's side, the Blue Demons aim to improve upon their fifth-place finish from 2025. Mohamed Abdullahi, who placed 11th individually at the 2025 championships, returns alongside Alex Krieg, Mason Krieg, Bryce Counihan, Kiefer Barnes, Cole Tupper, Jackson Hopkins, Daniel Grauer, and Caden Wolfe.

The men's squad has recorded two team victories and a runner-up finish this season, opening the year with five runners among the top-six at the Huskie Opener in DeKalb, Ill. Freshman Alex Krieg claimed the individual title in his collegiate debut, while Abdullahi led DePaul to another team victory at Loyola Chicago's Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational with a runner-up finish.

On the women's side, Urbaniak has led the Blue Demons throughout the fall, opening the season with an individual victory at the Huskie Opener before recording the third-fastest 5K performance in program history at the National Catholic Championships. The women's squad also earned a runner-up team finish in South Bend, while Orozco, Helmbrecht and Roe have contributed strong performances throughout the season.

Most recently, DePaul competed at the Under Armour Pre-National Invitational on Oct. 16, where the women's squad placed eighth in the White 6K race. Urbaniak led the way in 30th, followed by Orozco in 35th with a personal best time of 21:39.8. Mason Krieg paced the men's team in the Blue 8K race, finishing in 24:47.9.

"We're very excited for our young team to experience their first BIG EAST meet," said head coach Geoff Wayton. "We've got a great mix of seasoned veterans and exciting newcomers who have worked very hard and are ready to make their mark."

UP NEXT
Following the BIG EAST Championships, DePaul will turn its attention to the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships on Friday, Nov. 13, in Ames, Iowa.

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