SEPT. 3, 2026, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Community College men's and women's cross country teams will officially begin their 2026 seasons at the CMU Jeff Drenth Invitational, Friday, Sept. 4, with both squads looking to build on strong performances from a year ago.

The GRCC women enter the season ranked No. 4 in the nation in the preseason National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) rankings and No. 1 in the region after finishing seventh at the NJCAA Division III Cross Country Championships last season.

The Raiders return a strong group of experienced runners, led by NJCAA All-American Mackenzie Baldrica, who finished 13th individually at nationals last year. Also returning is Suzannah DiPiazza who earned All-Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) honors last season.

The Raiders also welcome back Leah Williams, Vivian Idziak, Binti Abdi, Kadence Norman and Caroline Lopez-Lopez, giving GRCC a deep and experienced roster heading into the new campaign.

Three freshmen join the women's team this season: Mackenzie Conner of Jenison, Kailey Mann of Byron Center and Glorious Yarsiah of Brewerville, Liberia.

Head coach Sharon Becker views Friday's season opener as an opportunity for her runners to learn and gain valuable racing experience rather than focus solely on the result.

"This race is not a test, but rather a study-session," Becker said. "This race is a tutor to help teach you more about what will be on your 'final exam' — end of season."

Becker said the team will use the opening race as a foundation for the more demanding competitions later in the season.

"One main goal this is to gain experience racing. We are using this first race to build platform that will give us an education to use for our more intense races later on in the season," Becker said.

Men's team looking to build on strong 2025

The GRCC men's team also returns several runners from last year's squad, which finished 20th at the NJCAA Division III National Championships and was the runner-up in both the MCCAA and the region.

Returning for the Raiders are Corey Jones, an All-MCCAA selection last season, along with Brady Morrow and Rapheal White, all of whom competed at the national championships a year ago.

The men's team adds two freshmen to this year's roster: Jacob Creager of Coopersville and Alex Minani of Rock Island, Illinois.

Head coach Rob Hyde said the opening meet will give his team an important opportunity to establish its identity while gaining experience against competition.

"Our first race is about finding out where we are and, more importantly, where we can go. We have a good mix of returning experience and new runners, and Friday will give us the chance to see how that group comes together under race conditions," Hyde said. "We're not looking to peak in September. We're looking to build throughout the season, learn from every race and put ourselves in position to be at our best when the championship races arrive."

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