HARRISONBURG, Va.- The 2025 fall sports season is here! Throughout this week, we will be taking a sneak peek at the year ahead for all of our fall sports. Today, we take a look at the 2025 campaign for the cross country team, who will open up the 2025-26 slate of home events tomorrow with the annual EMU Heritage XC Invitational.
Head Coach:
Bob Hepler (Eighth Season)
ODAC Preview
2024 In Review
The women's cross country team placed fifth at the ODAC Championships last fall, while the men's team took home seventh place in the conference.
Bellamy Immanuel finished 12th overall individually in the ODAC, good for All-ODAC Second Team honors, and he won three other races during the 2024 season.
Jenna Weaver was the highest finisher for the Royal women at ODACs, crossing the line in 29th.
2025 Schedule Highlights
Season Opener: EMU Heritage Invitational – Friday, Aug. 29 at 6 p.m.
ODAC Preview: Bridgewater Invitational – Saturday, Sept. 20 at 10 a.m.
ODAC Championships: Saturday, Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. at Bridgewater
South Region Meet: Saturday, Nov. 15 at 10 a.m. at Green Hill Park in Salem, Va.
Full Schedule
Key Losses (Men): Bellamy Immanuel,
Caleb Metzler
Key Returners (Men):
Luke Buckwalter,
Ethan Kanagy
Key Losses (Women):
Jenna Weaver,
Halie Mast
Key Returners (Women): Elili Asefa,
Lauren Kauffman,
Erin Loker
Full Roster (Men)
Full Roster (Women)
Outlook: The Royal men will have to move on after the graduation of Immanuel, who qualified for the NCAA Championships as a junior in 2023 and sits third on EMU's all-time 8k list. Buckwalter, Kanagy and
Alex Belisle have shown improvement and leadership in preseason workouts. As for the Royal women, they bring back a solid top three in Asefa, Kauffman and Loker, who ran similar times throughout last season. They will look to develop two more runners to complete their scoring five, with junior
Claire Hurst making strides in the preseason.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the EMU cross country program this year, follow EMU Athletics on Instagram, like EMU Athletics on Facebook or visit our website.
