CONWAY, ARK. - Central Arkansas cross country opened its 2026 season in dominant fashion Saturday, as both the men's and women's teams claimed the first-place finishes at the UCA Bear XC Invitational.

The Central Arkansas women were led by Lydia Butler, who won the individual race with a time of 17:16:00. Abby Machesky followed in second at 17:23:18, while Kamryn Baggs finished third at 17:43:00. Kate Barber came in sixth-place with a time of 17:50:95.

Elizabeth Browning, Emily Graf, Kayli Myers, Alivia Spangler, Alexis Frick, and Miah McAulay also finished among the top 13.

Head coach Josey Weaver was particularly pleased with the performance of freshmen Boydston and Barber, the two freshmen who both finished inside Central Arkansas' top five. "They've been grinders since day one," Weaver said. After the team's first meeting of the season, coach Weaver said he was pleased with where the team currently stands and the effort they showed.

The Central Arkansas men matched the women's performance, also finishing with 15 points to claim first place. Garrett Barr captured the individual title in 14:14:99, winning his first collegiate race. Logan Dingman finished third at 14:25:50, followed by Hunter Stahl in fourth at 14:32:11 and Brody Maasen in sixth at 14:35:83.Trae Baker placed eighth at 14:47:54, while Wyatt McCulley and Will Doyle finished ninth and 10th, respectively.

Barr's victory was particularly meaningful for the Central Arkansas program, as the freshman finished ahead of former Central Arkansas standout Jack Dingman in his collegiate debut.

"To have a freshman win his first collegiate race here and take down one of our legends in Jack Dingman, that was fun to see," coach Weaver said. "But even more than that, to watch his teammates celebrate him- there's not an ego on the men's team at all."

Central Arkansas will look to build on its strong start when it returns to action at the Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on Saturday, September 26. The first race is scheduled to start at 8:15 a.m.