Friday, August 29
Nacogdoches, TX
6:00 P.M.
Stephen F. Austin
vs
Lumberjack Collegiate XC Opener
SFA Cross Country Begins ’25 Season in Nacogdoches
8/28/2025 12:00:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
Lumberjack Invitational set for Friday at Pecan Acres Park
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The 2025 cross country season is here! Both Stephen F. Austin's men's and women's squads will be in action on Friday at Pecan Acres Park as the 'Jacks host the Lumberjack Invitational. The women's two-mile race begins at 6 p.m. with the men's three-mile run set for a 6:30 p.m. start. Live results will be made available at www.SFAjacks.com.
"We love hosting the Lumberjack Opener," noted SFA Director of Cross Country Rob Hansen. "This is a great opportunity to run in front of our parents and hometown fans in a low key and controlled environment. We try not to make too much out of the first meet of the season, but it is a great opportunity to bust the rust and get the early season pre-meet jitters out for the youngsters of the group."
Pecan Acres is a mostly flat, mostly grass, perimeter loop around the park. SFA welcomes in LeTourneau and Rice on the women's side and will compete against Centenary and LeTourneau on the men's side.
The Lumberjack men enter the 2025 season ranked seventh in the USTFCCCA Division I South Central rankings. SFA is the second-highest rated non-P4 or G5 program behind conference foe Incarnate Word which rates fifth in the first rankings of the season. The 'Jacks are slotted above Sam Houston State, Rice, Arkansas State and Houston among others in the 15-team ranking.
SFA finished second on the men's side at the SLC Championships last season. The 'Jacks saw a pair of All-SLC second-team performers cross the tape in Riley Elliot and Ryan Binskin. Both Elliot and Binskin return for Hansen, while the 'Jacks will look to replace the SLC's individual champion Elkana Kipruto.
The Lumberjack women begin the '25 campaign at tenth in the USTFCCCA Division I South Central rankings. The 'Jacks slot behind fellow Southland Conference foe Texas A&M-Corpus Christi as the second-highest rated non-P4 or G5 program in the initial list. SFA is rated higher than Baylor, Houston, Louisiana, Arkansas State and UT Arlington.
Mercy Kipchumba, the third overall finisher at the SLC Championships last fall, returns for the 'Jacks as does Valentine Jumutai who placed right after Kipchumba in New Orleans. Four other Lumberjacks that earned SLC Championship experience last season are back for the SFA women in 2025. Kipchumba finished 165th in last season's NCAA DI National Championship. It was just the third career race for the Kenyan.
Hansen added, "Friday night's collegiate component should be short but furious; a spectator friendly 45 minutes of cross-country racing over at Pecan Acres Park. "Saturday morning showcases some of the best distance running high school and middle school teams from East Texas, and we appreciate having those folks here on campus at SFA!"
FOLLOW THE LUMBERJACKS
For all the latest information on SFA XC, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Lumberjacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
"We love hosting the Lumberjack Opener," noted SFA Director of Cross Country Rob Hansen. "This is a great opportunity to run in front of our parents and hometown fans in a low key and controlled environment. We try not to make too much out of the first meet of the season, but it is a great opportunity to bust the rust and get the early season pre-meet jitters out for the youngsters of the group."
Pecan Acres is a mostly flat, mostly grass, perimeter loop around the park. SFA welcomes in LeTourneau and Rice on the women's side and will compete against Centenary and LeTourneau on the men's side.
The Lumberjack men enter the 2025 season ranked seventh in the USTFCCCA Division I South Central rankings. SFA is the second-highest rated non-P4 or G5 program behind conference foe Incarnate Word which rates fifth in the first rankings of the season. The 'Jacks are slotted above Sam Houston State, Rice, Arkansas State and Houston among others in the 15-team ranking.
SFA finished second on the men's side at the SLC Championships last season. The 'Jacks saw a pair of All-SLC second-team performers cross the tape in Riley Elliot and Ryan Binskin. Both Elliot and Binskin return for Hansen, while the 'Jacks will look to replace the SLC's individual champion Elkana Kipruto.
The Lumberjack women begin the '25 campaign at tenth in the USTFCCCA Division I South Central rankings. The 'Jacks slot behind fellow Southland Conference foe Texas A&M-Corpus Christi as the second-highest rated non-P4 or G5 program in the initial list. SFA is rated higher than Baylor, Houston, Louisiana, Arkansas State and UT Arlington.
Mercy Kipchumba, the third overall finisher at the SLC Championships last fall, returns for the 'Jacks as does Valentine Jumutai who placed right after Kipchumba in New Orleans. Four other Lumberjacks that earned SLC Championship experience last season are back for the SFA women in 2025. Kipchumba finished 165th in last season's NCAA DI National Championship. It was just the third career race for the Kenyan.
Hansen added, "Friday night's collegiate component should be short but furious; a spectator friendly 45 minutes of cross-country racing over at Pecan Acres Park. "Saturday morning showcases some of the best distance running high school and middle school teams from East Texas, and we appreciate having those folks here on campus at SFA!"
FOLLOW THE LUMBERJACKS
For all the latest information on SFA XC, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Lumberjacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
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