Men's Cross Country 10/16/2026 3:45:00 PM

Men's Cross Country Makes Statement With Runner-Up Finish at Under Armour Pre-National Invitational

Top five scorers separated by less than 30 seconds as balanced team effort led Wildcats to second place team finish

Villanova Men's Cross Country

Under Armour Pre-National Invitational

October 16, 2026
LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course
Terre Haute, Ind.

Runner-Up — 127 Points
Villanova raced past three nationally-ranked teams and finished just 12 points behind No. 8 Syracuse in a thrilling team battle.

Meet Highlights

6th Place

Senior Bailey Habler led Villanova in 23:23.4, just six seconds off the winning pace.

29.4 Seconds

The Wildcats' five scoring runners finished within 29.4 seconds — their smallest spread since the 2023 season opener at Temple (28.2).

White Race Winner

Ben Thomas won in 24:23.6, finishing 5.1 seconds ahead of North Carolina's Joe Sapone.

Villanova Just Kept Coming

Fourth in the team standings at 3K, the Wildcats surged into second by 5K and held that position through the finish. All five scorers maintained or improved their places over the final 3,000 meters, led by gains of 17 spots for Thomas McMahon, 16 for Jack Fenlon and four for Bailey Habler.

A National Contender: Habler paced Villanova for the second straight start of his 2026 season. He and fifth scorer Jack Coomber each finished ahead of Syracuse's corresponding scorer. Charlie Moore (25th, 23:42.6), Thomas McMahon (26th, 23:42.9), Jack Fenlon (28th, 23:46.3) and Coomber (42nd, 23:52.8) joined Habler among the top 42 in the 342-runner Blue Race.

This was Villanova's fifth straight scored meet dating back to last season with a spread of less than a minute between its first and fifth runners. The Wildcats' tightly packed finish reinforced their emergence as one of the country's national contenders.

Thomas Takes the White Race: Ben Thomas moved up four spots over the final 3,000 meters and kicked to victory over a field of 198 runners. He beat the runner-up and the rest of the field by more than five seconds.

Postseason Momentum: A runner-up finish in one of the biggest meets on the midseason calendar carries national implications for a Villanova team on the rise heading into the BIG EAST Championships later this month.

Up Next: A contingent of Wildcats is expected to compete at the Haverford Invitational on October 23.

Complete Meet Results

Villanova Results — Blue Race

Runner	Place	Time
Bailey Habler	6th of 342	23:23.4
Charlie Moore	25th	23:42.6
Thomas McMahon	26th	23:42.9
Jack Fenlon	28th	23:46.3
Jack Coomber	42nd	23:52.8
CJ Sullivan	89th	24:14.3
Nick Sullivan	114th	24:22.8
Matthew McLachlan	132nd	24:28.4

Team Scores — Blue Race

Team	Place	Points
Syracuse	1st of 44	115
Villanova	2nd	127
Notre Dame	3rd	148
Wichita State	4th	212
North Carolina	5th	243
Arizona	6th	244
Cornell	7th	246
Toledo	8th	277
Duke	9th	294
Cal Baptist	10th	298
Tulane	11th	309
Montana State	12th	326
Utah State	13th	342
Kansas	14th	472
Stephen F. Austin	15th	497
Loyola (Ill.)	16th	499
North Carolina State	17th	500
Purdue	18th	509
Iona	19th	563
Penn State	20th	572
Florida State	21st	603
Pittsburgh	22nd	606
Kentucky	23rd	630
Wyoming	24th	632
Utah Valley	25th	640
South Dakota State	26th	643
Indiana	27th	699
Illinois	28th	704
Colorado State	29th	726
Miami (Ohio)	30th	733
North Dakota	31st	738
Michigan	32nd	762
Southern Utah	33rd	802
Penn	34th	836
Eastern Michigan	35th	977
UMass Lowell	36th	979
Clemson	37th	997
Southern Indiana	38th	1029
Liberty	39th	1038
IU Indianapolis	40th	1052
Utah Tech	41st	1243
DePaul	42nd	1261
Vanderbilt	43rd	1261
Ohio	44th	1349

Top 10 Individuals — Blue Race

Place	Runner	Team	Time
1st	Silas Kiptanui	Tulane	23:17.4
2nd	Elkana Kipruto	Wichita State	23:18.8
3rd	Nicholas Kipchirchir	Wichita State	23:19.8
4th	Daelen Ackley	Notre Dame	23:20.5
5th	Edward Baird	Kentucky	23:21.0
6th	Bailey Habler	Villanova	23:23.4
7th	Bernard Cheruiyot	Tulane	23:24.9
8th	Pedro Marin	Cal Baptist	23:25.0
9th	Joad Martinho	Toledo	23:25.6
10th	Pierre Attiogbe	Cornell	23:25.9

Villanova Results — White Race

Runner	Place	Time
Ben Thomas	1st of 198	24:23.6
Caolan McFadden	32nd	25:10.0
Cam Collier	52nd	25:19.9

Top 10 Individuals — White Race

Place	Runner	Team	Time
1st	Ben Thomas	Villanova	24:23.6
2nd	Joe Sapone	North Carolina	24:28.7
3rd	Hobbs Campbell	Kansas	24:36.0
4th	Cooper Sorsen	Tulane	24:36.7
5th	Joe Martin	North Carolina	24:37.9
6th	Kamden Kramer	Dayton	24:38.3
7th	CJ Singleton	Notre Dame	24:38.4
8th	Carson Brown	Southern Indiana	24:39.3
9th	Kellen Williams	Notre Dame	24:40.0
10th	Colin Whitaker	Notre Dame	24:41.9