By Dionte Daniel, Assistant Sports Editor

The Valdosta State men’s and women’s cross-country teams will begin their 2026 season on Sept. 4 at Freedom Park when they have a chance to start answering the doubters who picked them 10th in the Gulf South Conference preseason polls. 

Both the VSU men and women were picked 10th in the GSC Coaches Preseason Poll. The men’s team received 12 points, which was enough to rank 10th among the conference’s 10 teams. The women’s team received 19 points, which ranked 10th among 11 teams. 

Lee University was picked as the preseason favorite on both the men’s and women’s side. The Lee men received 81 points and nine first-place votes. Alabama Huntsville followed with 72 points and one first-place vote. Mississippi College, Auburn Montgomery and Union rounded out the top five. 

On the women’s side, Lee received 98 points and eight first-place votes. Mississippi College received 91 points and three first-place votes. Alabama Huntsville, Union and Trevecca Nazarene completed the top five. 

Todd Smoot returns for his 11th season as head coach of the VSU team, which will have a roster full of veteran runners as well as some new faces. 

Seniors Randall Luke and Caleb Tilford return as the most experienced runners on the men’s team. Juniors Toshiya Bass, Mason Brown, Graham Harrod, Hunter Shuler and Nick Waddell are the other upperclassmen who return for the Blazers. 

Sophomore Jake Wilkerson is the lone upperclassmen on the younger side of the roster. That group also includes freshmen Alex Albano, Parker Henderson, Liam LeBrocq and Nate Spivey. 

The VSU women will also have experience and youth on their roster when the season begins. 

Senior Alanta Lofton is the only senior on the women’s roster. Juniors Ella Burnett, Emma Burnett and Ellie Cardozo return as other experienced runners. Samantha Savion- Rios and Alyssa Youmans are the other returners as they enter their second season with the Blazers. Carly Storie is the lone freshman who will join the program in the fall. 

The Blazers open the season Friday in the VSU Border Clash at Freedom Park. 

VSU will spend its next five meets on the road. The Blazers head to Montevallo, Alabama, for the UM Falcon Classic on Sept. 18. The team hosts UAH the following week at the UAH Twilight on Sept. 25. 

October features two away meets for the Blazers. First, they’ll head to Tallahassee, Florida, for the Florida State XC Invitational at Apalachee Regional Park on Oct. 9. Then the team heads back to UAH for the UAH Chargers Invitational on Oct. 24. 

Those five meets will give VSU plenty of preparation for the Gulf South Conference Championship on Nov. 6 at The Hermitage in Nashville. 

The postseason concludes with the NCAA South Region Championship on Nov. 21 at John Hunt XC Park in Huntsville, Alabama. 

The Blazers can start answering their doubters Friday at Freedom Park when they open their season in front of their home crowd.