California
ACC Championships
10/28/2026 11:27 AM | Cross Country
Bears Top Runners To Race in Virginia
BERKELEY - California men's and women's cross country teams will start their postseason run at the ACC Championships on Friday at Virginia Tech's Buford Meredith Cross Country Course in Blacksburg, VA. The men's race will start at 7:10 a.m. PT, followed by the women's race at 8:00 a.m. Both races will be broadcast on ACC Network and also will be available on ESPN+.
True freshman Kiefer Willcox was California's top finisher on the men's side at the Bill Dellinger Invitational on Oct. 9, placing 20th with a personal-best time of 24:29.4. Hayden Beauchemin has also been a key contributor for the Bears, leading the team at the Saint Mary's Invitational on Sept. 18 with an 11th-place finish. Prior to that performance, he recorded a personal-best time of 24:30.7 to place 13th at the USF Invitational on Sept. 4. Beauchemin finished just behind teammate Kyler McNatt, who led the Bears with a 12th-place finish in a personal-best time of 24:30.6.
On the women's side, senior Sophie Tau has been Cal's top finisher at all three meets this season. She has recorded top-10 finishes in each race, highlighted by a second-place finish at the Saint Mary's Invitational with a time of 20:14.5 on a course measured at 5.95 kilometers. Tau placed third at the USF Invitational in 20:32 and clocked a season-best 20:27.6 to finish fifth at the Bill Dellinger Invitational.
The Golden Bears will face a tough conference championship with 12 nationally ranked teams. The men will face No. 8 Syracuse, No. 10 Wake Forest, No. 13 Stanford and No. 15 Notre Dame. The women will face No. 2 NC State, No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 14 Clemson, No. 19 North Carolina, No. 20 Virginia Tech, No. 20 Stanford, No. 22 Virginia and No. 24 Duke, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Coaches Poll. Virginia is looking to defend the men's title. NC State looks to repeat as the women's winner.
At last year's ACC Championships, Cal's men's team finished 16th and the women placed 15th. On the men's side, alumnus John Sesteaga was the Bears' top finisher with a time of 24:14.4. Senior Addie Johnson led the women with a time of 20:39.8.
STAY POSTED
For complete coverage of Cal cross country, follow the Bears on X (@CalTFXC), Instagram (@caltfxc), and Facebook (/CalTFXC/).
