KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State men's and women's cross country teams will head to Tallahassee, Florida on Friday for the NCAA South Regionals at Apalachee Regional Park.
The women's 6k will start at 8:30 a.m., followed by the men's 10k at 9:30 a.m. The top two teams will earn an automatic bid for the NCAA championships that will be held in Terra Haute, Indiana, on Nov. 21.
 
Weather Report
It will be sunny with temperatures in the upper 40's and low 50's in Tallahassee on Friday morning.

How to Punch Your Ticket to Terre Haute
The common goal for all men's and women's teams competing in Spartanburg on Friday is to qualify for the 2026 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, to be contested Nov. 21 at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind. Here's what it takes:
 
Team Qualification: The top two teams at each of Friday's nine regional meets will automatically advance to the national meet. Kennesaw State region consists of teams from Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and parts of Georgia. The national field will then be filled with 14 at-large selections, comprising a total of 32 men's and 32 women's teams which will compete in Terre Haute. The at-large squads will be determined using a formula based upon head-to-head success against other national qualifiers during the regular season.
 
Individual Qualification: All runners who place in the top 25 at the regional meet earn all-region recognition and become eligible for advancement to Terre Haute. The national meet features 38 individual competitors not on advancing teams. The top four finishers from each regional meet who are not part of a national-qualifying squad will punch their ticket to Terre Haute. Then, two at-large individuals will be added to round out the national field.
In summary, the only people who will know for sure that they are bound for Terre Haute on Friday are the top two teams in each race and the first four individual finishers who are not part of one of those teams. The complete field of team and individual qualifiers to Terre Haute will be revealed Saturday at 5 p.m. on NCAA.com.

Women's Team Preview
The Kennesaw State women's team will look to stay hot after a third-place finish at the Conference USA Championships.

The Owls have been led this season by Madison Seiler. Seiler placed 11th and earned Second Team All-Conference honors at the CUSA Championships. Samantha McGarity and May Humpert have also been strong this year earning Third Team All-Conference honors at the CUSA Championships.

KSU enters Friday's race ranked No. 14 in a strong South Region that features two nationally ranked teams: No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Florida.

This will be KSU's 14th appearance at the NCAA South Regionals. The Owls' best finish came in 2025, when they placed 10th.


Men's Team Preview
The KSU men finished seventh at the CUSA Championships.

The Owls were led by Ethann Bridge and Andrew Stricklin.

The South Region men's field remains strong this year, featuring nationally ranked Alabama (No. 4) and Florida (No. 8) and Tennessee (No. 24).

Next Up
The Owls will compete again on Saturday, Nov. 21, at the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana if any qualify. If not, KSU will open its indoor track and field season on Friday, Dec. 6, at the Clemson Opener.