The patience of the Valparaiso University cross country team is being tested a little extra to start the 2026 season.
 
Anticipation for the first race of the season is high, but temperatures are even higher, so the team will have to wait a little bit longer to get the 2026 campaign underway as Friday's season-opening home meet was called off due to excessive heat. However, the season will get underway soon enough when Valpo heads to Minneapolis for the Roy Griak Invite on Friday, Sept. 18.
 
When the season is finally off and running, sophomore Samantha Rowley (Barrington, Ill. / Barrington) will try to build on a strong freshman campaign. She turned in a personal-best 6k at the Bradley Pink Classic that allowed her to crack the program record book at sixth in program history. During the track & field season, she clocked the third-fastest indoor 5000 in program history and fastest since 2009 and had the program's fourth-fastest 3000 and fastest since 2007. After moving outdoors, she posted the program's second-fastest 10,000 of all time and fastest since 1999.
 
"Samantha Rowley came out of the gates swinging early in her cross career," Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Vincent Walker said. "She picked up some big momentum in the 10k and had a good 5k indoors. She built that confidence of being an athlete at the collegiate level. She came from a high school that was really established and had a lot of success. The individualized attention and training that she's gotten here has helped her. She's a really hungry individual and has really big goals for herself."
 
Redshirt junior Laetitia Raoult (Guingamp, France [Florida International]) burst onto the scene as a freshman by running the ninth-fastest 5k in program history and the second-fastest 6k in program history. She arrived late due to visa issues last season before also battling some injuries, but is poised for a strong junior season.
 
"The way she's carrying herself now, working out and training is a day-and-night difference," Walker said. "She's excited to get back to where she's at. Her workouts have been incredible."
 
Kelly O'Connor (Kankakee, Ill. / Herscher) has a chance to make an immediate impact as a freshman. Redshirt senior Alina Worzella (Martinsville, Ind. / Martinsville) is coming off the best and healthier year of her career. Vivian Rahmel (Springfield, Ill. / Sacred Heart-Griffin) has moved up workout groups after an incredible summer of training and will be a strong top-5 runner this season.
 
"As a whole, this is probably the deepest our women's team has ever been," Walker said. "We've always had a strong 1-2 or 1-2-3 punch, but this is the first time since I've been here where we go as deep as 6-7-8. That's exciting knowing if someone has a tough day, someone else is going to rise to the occasion. We're coming off our best regional finish and our first big jump in the conference, but that wasn't necessarily enough for this group. We're aiming for our best all-time finish at the regional and our best conference finish since joining the MVC."
 
On the men's side, a pair of sophomores are coming off strong rookie campaigns. Braden Hoff (New Lenox, Ill. / Lincoln-Way Central) posted the second-fastest outdoor 1500 in program history at the MVC Championships in May. Joey Yaros (Bloomington, Ill. / Normal Community) was a point-scorer at the MVC Indoor Championships by finishing eighth in the mile.
 
"Joey jumped up in mileage this summer," Walker said. "He seems more confident and mature. He's no longer that freshman who feels like he has to prove everything. The way he is training is day-and-night different. He will be a guy to really watch out for this season. He has really big goals of trying to be all-conference. Last cross country season, Braden struggled at first adjusting to the 8k and 10k, but started coming into his own during the track season. He trained in Colorado all summer in elevation. The way he's training right now, he's kind of like a caged lion, waiting for that opportunity to race."
 
Junior Tyler Swartz (Warsaw, Ind. / Warsaw Community) could be an x-factor for the Beacons as he is fully healthy going into this season after beginning his 2025 season coming off an injury. Junior Tim Jochum (Glen Ellyn, Ill. / Glenbard South) is eager to get back on grass after redshirting during the track season. Freshman Nick Dul (New Lenox, Ill. / Lincoln-Way West) is doing a good job of adapting to the higher mileage at the collegiate level.
 
Last season, the Beacon men were ranked 15^th in the final Great Lakes Region U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association rankings, marking just the second time in program history and first since 2019 that the program was regionally ranked.  
 
"Our men have goals of not being satisfied with being regionally ranked and not being satisfied with top 15," Walker said. "If Tyler can be there with Braden and Joey, that is going to make our team finish really jump up. He is really confident right now, and when his confidence is there, he can be dangerous. Tim is running almost 25 miles per week more than he was running his freshman year. Nick Dul is going to surprise a lot of people and also surprise himself this season."