TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The IU Indianapolis men's cross country team will make its much anticipated 2026 debut on Saturday (Sept. 19) when the Jaguars compete at Indiana State's John McNichols Invitational at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course. Head coach Justin Amburgy's team is slated to compete in the 8,000m open race, beginning at 10:15 a.m. 

Amburgy will get a first look at his squad, opting to run roughly half of the roster on Saturday. The Jaguars enter the season with a blend of young and old with Notre Dame-transfer and former All-American Izaiah Steury and veteran Luke Shappell keying the top of the roster. While those two aren't expected to compete on Saturday, the entries do include veterans Joey Ashman, Nick Cook and Eli Oetken, but also true freshmen Aidan Connors, Ben Gasiorski and Nathan Gehrmann. 

Ashman boasts a personal best 8K time of 24:44.3 while Cook has run 24:32.0. Other returners include Alec Hueftle and Michael Zegarski, who are both expected to make their cross country debuts on Saturday. 

The Jaguars finished third in the Horizon League last season, but return the top six finishers from that group. 

PRESEASON POLLS
The Jaguars were picked to finish second according to the #HLXC Preseason Polls, released on Sept. 1. Youngstown State collected the top spot while the Jags were second, just ahead of Oakland and Green Bay. 

UP NEXT
The Jaguars are scheduled to compete in Notre Dame's Joe Piane Invitational in South Bend, Ind., on Oct. 2.