By Marissa Essenburg | Sports Writer
Baylor cross country is back in action and ready to hit the course Friday for its first meet of the season at the Gerald Richey UTA Invitational in Arlington.
Coming off a disappointing end to the 2024 season, which saw the men’s and women’s teams both finish last at the Big 12 championships, the Bears are hungry, looking to turn a new page ahead of the 2025 campaign.
“We have a lot of new faces,” head coach David Barnett said. “We want to see the [previous underclassmen] make a big jump in their second and third years. I think everyone that we have in place is capable of having their best season yet.”
With new NCAA roster limits in place for the 2025-2026 season across all collegiate athletics, the Bears have taken time to adjust to the season beginning later than usual.
“It’s the new normal, and it creates a sense of urgency for everyone,” Barnett said on the Baylor Coach’s Show. “It’s a bigger change on the men’s side than the women’s side, but we’ve been able to manage it. I’m excited to see how it shakes out.”
The Big 12’s strength is hard to ignore, with five men’s or women’s programs ranked in the top five of their respective USTFCCCA National Coaches’ Polls and nine appearing in the top 25 overall. At the top of the conference, BYU, Colorado and Oklahoma State earned spots in both the men’s and women’s rankings.
With the Big 12 atop the national rankings for men’s (Iowa State) and women’s (BYU) cross country, the Bears will look to steady a program eager to find its way back into the title conversation.
Baylor returns seven runners on the women’s side and nine on the men’s, including 11 total who are set to race Friday morning.
Eight weeks out from the Big 12 championship in Lawrence, Kan., the Bears step into a season that will test their endurance, identity and hopes of rejoining the conference’s elite.
Early meets may carry weight, but the season’s ultimate test still lies ahead.
“At the end of the day, we just have to be ready for the championship season, because that’s the priority,” Barnett said.
Baylor will compete in its first race of the season Sept. 5 at the Gerald Richey UTA Invitational in Arlington.
