Friday, September 4
Abilene, Texas
W: 6:45 p.m. / M: 7:30 p.m.
Abilene Christian
vs
Naimadu Classic
Photo by: Kevan Albright
ACU Hosts Naimadu Classic to Start 2026 Season
9/3/2026 10:17:00 AM | Cross Country
The Wayne Angel era of Abilene Christian cross country begins Friday evening as the Wildcats host the Naimadu Classic. Angel was announced as ACU's cross country head coach just over a month ago after completely a seven-year stint as head track and field / cross country coach at Northern Colorado.
Since the recruiting cycle was largely completed by the time Angel got to ACU this summer, the focus for this season will be on developing the talent within the program. The women's team returns five of the top 8 finishers at the WAC Championship last year, losing #1 top runner Chloe McLellan, who finished her collegiate eligibility.
The top returning Wildcat runner is Hannah Kasper, who was ACU's #2 finisher with a 35th place in the overall standings at the WAC Championship. She is followed by: #3 finisher Saylor Stevenson placing 40th overall, and the 9th best freshman in the field; #5 Audrey Chitwood (47th overall); #6 Madison Anderson (48th overall); and #8 Alyssa Quinones (53rd overall). Also returning is Sidney Windham, who was 15th in the UIL Class 4A State Cross Country Meet for Brownwood in 2024, but had her freshman season at ACU shortened by illness. Also added to the roster for 2026 are four runners who ran the 400 and 800 for ACU's track team in the spring and all have high school XC experience – Emma Santoro, Madelyn McFadden, Anna Vyn, and Hanna Zweibel. Singled out in the early part of the season by Angel are Kasper, Vyn, and Stevenson.
The Wildcat men return five finishers from last year's top 8, losing their top 2 finishers from the WAC Championship – Kevin Castruita and Carlos Cortez. The top Wildcat returnee on the men's side is #3 finisher Vincent Luffey (27th overall). He is followed by the #4 finisher Mark Barajas who finished 33rd overall (23rd in the 2024 WAC XC Championship); #6 Austin Roberts, placing 47th overall; #7 Benjamin Castro, placing 51st overall; and #8 Matthew Engle, who finished 54th overall. Also returning is 800-meter specialist Evan Martin, who ran in the first two cross country meets in 2025. The only new addition to the roster is Nash Jones, who is a transfer from Northern Colorado. Jones ran track last year, but has not run XC competitively since the 2024 season at Royse City H.S., east of Dallas. Standing out in the early practices are Luffey, Barajas, and Engle.
Before UNC, Angel served as head coach of track and field / cross country at Tennessee Tech, Florida A&M, and his alma mater, Illinois. He also was a head cross country coach at Iowa and Wichita State. Angel now turns his considerable coaching talent toward the Wildcat cross country teams.
The Naimadu Classic is named for ACU legend Nicodemus Naimadu, who in his years at ACU was only the second person to win four consecutive national cross country titles in NCAA history. ACU will welcome schools from four divisions to the meet: Division II (UTPB), Division III (McMurry, Hardin Simmons); NAIA (U of the Southwest) and NJCAA (Cisco, Ranger, and Western Texas College in Snyder).
The women's 4K race gets underway Friday at 6:45, followed by the men's 6K race at 7:30. The race will be held at Zoe Park at 2051 EN 10th Street (just east of Taylor Elementary).
Since the recruiting cycle was largely completed by the time Angel got to ACU this summer, the focus for this season will be on developing the talent within the program. The women's team returns five of the top 8 finishers at the WAC Championship last year, losing #1 top runner Chloe McLellan, who finished her collegiate eligibility.
The top returning Wildcat runner is Hannah Kasper, who was ACU's #2 finisher with a 35th place in the overall standings at the WAC Championship. She is followed by: #3 finisher Saylor Stevenson placing 40th overall, and the 9th best freshman in the field; #5 Audrey Chitwood (47th overall); #6 Madison Anderson (48th overall); and #8 Alyssa Quinones (53rd overall). Also returning is Sidney Windham, who was 15th in the UIL Class 4A State Cross Country Meet for Brownwood in 2024, but had her freshman season at ACU shortened by illness. Also added to the roster for 2026 are four runners who ran the 400 and 800 for ACU's track team in the spring and all have high school XC experience – Emma Santoro, Madelyn McFadden, Anna Vyn, and Hanna Zweibel. Singled out in the early part of the season by Angel are Kasper, Vyn, and Stevenson.
The Wildcat men return five finishers from last year's top 8, losing their top 2 finishers from the WAC Championship – Kevin Castruita and Carlos Cortez. The top Wildcat returnee on the men's side is #3 finisher Vincent Luffey (27th overall). He is followed by the #4 finisher Mark Barajas who finished 33rd overall (23rd in the 2024 WAC XC Championship); #6 Austin Roberts, placing 47th overall; #7 Benjamin Castro, placing 51st overall; and #8 Matthew Engle, who finished 54th overall. Also returning is 800-meter specialist Evan Martin, who ran in the first two cross country meets in 2025. The only new addition to the roster is Nash Jones, who is a transfer from Northern Colorado. Jones ran track last year, but has not run XC competitively since the 2024 season at Royse City H.S., east of Dallas. Standing out in the early practices are Luffey, Barajas, and Engle.
Before UNC, Angel served as head coach of track and field / cross country at Tennessee Tech, Florida A&M, and his alma mater, Illinois. He also was a head cross country coach at Iowa and Wichita State. Angel now turns his considerable coaching talent toward the Wildcat cross country teams.
The Naimadu Classic is named for ACU legend Nicodemus Naimadu, who in his years at ACU was only the second person to win four consecutive national cross country titles in NCAA history. ACU will welcome schools from four divisions to the meet: Division II (UTPB), Division III (McMurry, Hardin Simmons); NAIA (U of the Southwest) and NJCAA (Cisco, Ranger, and Western Texas College in Snyder).
The women's 4K race gets underway Friday at 6:45, followed by the men's 6K race at 7:30. The race will be held at Zoe Park at 2051 EN 10th Street (just east of Taylor Elementary).
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