TicketsCINCINNATI — Junior Lucas Towne of the Cincinnati men’s cross country team will head to Terre Haute, Ind., on Saturday, Nov. 21, to compete in the 2026 NCAA Cross Country Championships at Indiana State’s LaVern Gibson Championship Course.
The men's 10k race will begin at 11:10 am ET and be streamed via ESPNU.
Towne achieved the feat after earning All-Region honors at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional as he placed 19th overall, securing his individual bid for his first appearance at the championship.
The Cincinnati native is the eighth Bearcat man in program history to advance to the NCAA Cross Country Championships, following Nickson Kogei, who qualified last season. Towne is the 19th Bearcat overall, men and women combined, to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Towne has been the Bearcats’ top finisher in all five meets this season. He opened the year with his first collegiate cross country victory, winning the men’s 6K at the RedHawk Rumble in a personal-best 18:01.3.
Most recently, Towne earned his first career All-Region honors, placing 19th overall with a 10K time of 30:41.2.
Last season, Kogei and Ann Lemirisho of the women’s team represented the Bearcats on the national stage. Kogei earned All-America honors with an 18th-place finish.