WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Coming off one of its strongest seasons in recent years, the University of Hartford men's cross country team returns to the course in 2026 looking to build on last year's success and make a run in the Conference of New England championships.
The Hawks finished third at the 2025 CNE Championships, marking their best finish of the season. Hartford also made its first appearance at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships, placing 16th out of 26 teams.
SETTING THE PACE
Leading the way for Hartford is junior Owen Klein (Coventry, R.I.), who enters the season following a standout sophomore campaign. Klein earned CNE First Team All-Conference honors after finishing fourth at the 2025 conference championships with a time of 26:02.36. He followed that performance with a 37th-place finish at the NCAA Mideast Regionals, earning All-Region honors.
"I missed a portion of my sophomore season due to injury," Klein says. "The team is coming back even stronger this year. So I am focused on staying healthy and consistent to get the most possible out of this season."
Klein will be joined by a group of experienced returners, including senior Keller Casey (Charlton, N.Y.), juniors Trae McIntyre (Troy, N.Y.) and Aidan Cullinan (Bethel, Conn.), and graduate student Peter Efinger (Washingtonville, N.Y.).
BUILDING DEPTH
McIntyre is another runner to watch after earning CNE Third Team All-Conference honors in 2025. He placed 15th at the conference championship with a time of 26:42.69 and finished second among Hartford runners at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships.
"I think coming off a strong season individually and going into this season has shown me that all the hard work we put in during preseason is paying off. My mindset is that I always tell myself, 'Don't let one bad race make you think that every race is going to be bad.' The only way you can improve yourself is by thinking you're stronger than you were yesterday. The team dynamic has helped push my teammates and me to take the next step through harder workouts every week and definitely eating healthy food post-workout," McIntyre says.
In addition to its experienced returners, Hartford welcomes six newcomers who will look to add depth throughout the lineup: Chris Allinson (Bolton, Conn.), Mike Fusaro Jr. (Norwich, Conn.), Conor Johnson (Lincoln, R.I.), Dom Lera (Shamong, N.J.), Mikey Scheffler (Vernon, Conn.) and Silas Tripp (Falls Village, Conn.).
The Hawks will rely on a strong mix of returning experience and newcomers as they navigate a challenging eight-meet schedule, giving younger runners opportunities to grow alongside Hartford's returning core.
SEASON OUTLOOK
Hartford opens the 2026 season at home on September 12th with the third annual University of Hartford Invitational at Keney Park. The Hawks will then travel to the UMass Dartmouth Invitational and the Paul Short Run at Lehigh University before making additional regular-season stops at Keene State, Connecticut College and Central Connecticut State.
The 2026 schedule provides Hartford with a pair of opportunities to compete in front of its home crowd. Keney Park will host both the opening Hartford Invitational and the Conference of New England Championships on October 31st.
The Hawks will close out the season at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships at Wickham Park in Manchester, Connecticut, on November 14th.
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