CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – The Johns Hopkins men's cross country team opened the 2026 season Friday morning at the Virginia Invitational, hosted by the University of Virginia. The Blue Jays placed fifth in the six-team field with 99 points, finishing ahead of Howard (185) and just six points behind fourth-place Norfolk State (93) in the 6K race.
 
North Carolina claimed eight of the top 20 individual spots, but junior Brady Ott led the way for the Blue Jays, clocking an 18:14 to finish 13th overall. Ott's performance helped lead a pack of three Hopkins runners who finished among the top 20.
 
Sophomores Caleb Tenney and Anthony Clark finished right behind Ott. Tenney placed 15th in 18:15.1, while Clark followed in 17th with a time of 18:18.3 to round out the Blue Jays' top-20 trio.
 
Rounding out the scoring five for the Blue Jays were freshman Connor Fanberg and sophomore Cedar Nichols-Barnhart, who finished back-to-back. In his collegiate debut, Fanberg crossed the line in 18:43.2 to place 30th, while Nichols-Barnhart secured the final scoring spot with a 31st-place finish in 18:43.6.
 
Johns Hopkins, which was ranked second in the USTFCCCA Division III Preseason Poll and fourth in the D3 Glory Days Poll, will return to action October 2. The Blue Jays will split their squad between the Paul Short Invitational, hosted by Lehigh, and the Running of the Cows D3 Pre-National Invitational, hosted by Carleton College.