BUIES CREEK, N.C. – The Campbell men's and women's cross country teams return to action Friday, Oct. 2, splitting the squad between a pair of meets in Virginia and North Carolina.
The Camels will send 14 runners to the Richmond Invitational, hosted by Richmond at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville, Va. The course will also serve as the site of the 2027 NCAA Southeast Region Cross Country Championships. The men's 8K race is scheduled for 9 a.m., followed by the women's 6K at 10 a.m.
16 Camels will compete at the Dill Family Invitational, hosted by East Carolina at Lake Kristi in Greenville, N.C. Lake Kristi serves as the home course for the Pirates' men's and women's cross country programs. The women's 6K is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., with the men's 8K following at 10:45 a.m.
DILL FAMILY INVITATIONAL MEET INFORMATION
- Date & Time: Friday, Oct. 2 | 10:00 a.m. ET (Women's 6K) | 10:45 a.m. ET (Men's 8K)
- Location: Greenville, N.C. | Lake Kristi
RICHMOND INVITATIONAL MEET INFORMATION
- Date & Time: Friday, Oct. 2 | 9:00 a.m. ET (Men's 8K) | 10:00 a.m. ET (Women's 6K)
- Location: Mechanicsville, Va. | Pole Green Park
LAST TIME OUT
The Campbell cross country teams competed at the Adidas XC Challenge on Sept. 18. The Campbell women finished seventh with 203 points in the 5K, while the men placed ninth with 288 points in the 6K.
Freshman
Ethan Rich led the men in his Campbell debut, finishing 65th in 19:44.5. Pierce led the women with a 23rd-place finish and a personal-best 17:27.7, the third-fastest time in program history.
PIERCE-ING HISTORY
Senior
Emily Pierce recroded the third-fastest 5K time in program history, finishing in 17:27.7 against a strong field at the Adidas XC Challenge. Pierce placed 23rd overall among a group of 164 runners that included participants from NC State and South Carolina. She eclipsed her personal-best time in the event by nearly 30 seconds.
For her efforts, Pierce earned the first CAA weekly honor of her career. She is Campbell's first runner to earn a conference weekly honor since
Dorcus Ewoi was named Big South Runner of the Week in 2021.
RECAP OF THE 2025 SEASON
In 2025, Campbell competed in six meets, including the CAA Championships and the NCAA Southeast Regional.
At the 2025 CAA Championships, senior
Emily Pierce led the way in the women's 6K for Campbell, running a personal-best 21:49.8 and finishing 24th overall. In the men's 8K, sophomore
Isaiah Martine ran a personal-best 24:57.8. Both the men and women placed eighth overall.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
The men's and women's cross country teams welcome a total of 10 new members for the 2026 season, including four transfers. Four of the 10 are from North Carolina. The men's team welcomes three new members, and the women's team welcomes seven. The men's team returns 14 members from the 2024 team, and the women's team returns 11.
HEAD COACH EVAN DARM
Evan Darm enters his second season as the helm of the Campbell track and field and cross country teams, dropping the interim tag following the 2024-25 athletic year.
Darm, a 2015 Campbell graduate, worked for three seasons at the Creek following graduation, first as a graduate assistant and then as a volunteer assistant. After a year away, Darm returned to the program for a season in 2019, helping guide the men to the Big South title.
He left to take a head coaching job for cross country at Lincoln Memorial (Tennessee) for two years before returning again to Campbell in 2022, where he has remained and risen to the head coaching position. As an assistant, Darm primarily worked with distance runners, including All-American
Dorcus Ewoi, who finished second in the Big South during the cross country season. Darm ran cross country for the Camels and earned All-Big South honors in 2014.
STAY UPDATED
For further coverage of Campbell cross country, follow the Camels on X (@GoCamelsTFXC) and Instagram (@GoCamelsTFXC).
