NGU women’s cross country holds high expectations for the upcoming season
Ian Johnson, Sports Editor
Photo Courtesy of Iczuk Photography
“Leaving it better than where it was when you got here,” stated Jarvis Robinson, cross country head coach. This phrase perfectly sums up what the women’s cross country team has done over the past few years at North Greenville University.
In 2023, the team finished third before winning the conference championship in both 2024 and 2025. In both championship seasons, NGU earned a program best seventh place out of 24 teams at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships.
Heading into the 2026 season, the team has high expectations. Others in the conference seem to agree, with the preseason poll projecting the Trailblazers to win a third straight title. Despite the high projections for the team, the coaches and players are not letting the past wins get to them.
“Projections are one of those things that I really don’t like to get into because we don’t know what the season’s going to hold,” said Robinson.
A key part of this team’s success has been the players who have been key to the program’s success. The trailblazers will be led by 2025 All-conference members and seniors, Cecily Anderton and Riley Shope. Alongside the seniors, the coaches expect Ellie Timmons, junior, and Corrie Reinhardt, freshman, to make a big impact on the season.
On Sept. 12, NGU opened their season at the Furman Invitational, in which they finished third, ahead of a Division I team while being the top Division II finisher.
Another big addition to this cross country team has been assistant coach Casey Burr. Burr, a Greenville native, comes from Furman University, where he was a member of the cross country team. While at Furman, he won the Southern Conference championships in cross country and was runner-up in the steeplechase. His experience at the Division I level is what makes him an important part of this season.
“I know what it’s like to be a student athlete,” said Burr. “Having that experience and seeing it done at such a high level, I’ll be able to bring that to the program here.” Burr always had the love for the sport, but he loved the development aspect more.
“When my time was done [as a player], I was interested in helping other people achieve their goals, get better at running,” explained Burr.
While one of the goals for the season is to win the conference again, Burr said that their season doesn’t end at the conference meet. For the Trailblazers, regional is a priority this season, with the top three teams from regional advancing to nationals. With the team finishing seventh in the last two seasons, the goal is to qualify for nationals.
“It’s a tall task to get top three, but we’ve got talent – that’s working hard,” said Burr. “Trying to make top three and make it to nationals is obviously a much bigger goal than the conference meet.”
A major aspect of the team that goes beyond the track is said best by Coach Robinson: faith, family and academics.
Robinson explained that faith is important not just because they are at a Christian school but because of its impact on our lives. He continues by saying, “We want our athlete to incorporate their families, call them, invite them to meets.” Lastly, he emphasized the importance of academics.
“As much as we are competitors, you’re here to get a degree. Let’s not forget about that,” said Robinson.
The team continues to train as other students look at their determination. “People see them around campus just running and having a good time; they’re not crazy,” described Burr. “It’s a great group of people trying to accomplish big things this fall.”
The Trailblazers will participate in their next meet at the Tryon Western Showcase on Sept. 25.
