Friday, September 4
New Orleans, La.
5:15 p.m. (W) | 5:45 p.m. (M)
Tulane University
vs
Battle for New Orleans
Tulane Hosts Battle for New Orleans to Open 2026 Season
Sep 3, 2026 | Cross Country
NEW ORLEANS – The 2026 cross country campaign officially begins tomorrow at Lake Oaks Park as Tulane cohosts the Battle for New Orleans with crosstown foe LSU New Orleans. The meet takes place Friday, September 4, and begins at 5:15 p.m. with the women's 4,000m race. The men's 5,000m race follows at 5:45 p.m.
The field features 11 teams and will serve as a regional showcase. Of the participants, only two are not from Louisiana – South Alabama and Southern Miss. Hosts Tulane and LSU New Orleans are joined by seven fellow Pelican State programs: Dillard, Loyola (New Orleans), LSU, Nicholls, Southeastern Louisiana, Southern, and Xavier (LA). Live results for the event will be available here.
The Green Wave swept last year's Battle for New Orleans in dominant fashion. Both the men's and women's teams topped their respective leaderboards with returners Bernard Cheruiyot and Dorcas Naibei taking the individual victories. Each program secured four of the top-five finishers in their respective races.
Tulane's men's team enters the season ranked No. 22 nationally in the USTFCCCA coaches poll. They are tabbed second in the South Central Region while the Wave women are slotted third regionally. Both of Tulane's programs were predicted to finish first place in the American Conference preseason coaches polls. Tulane's women's team is the defending conference champion and has claimed two of the last three titles. The men's team last won in 2024 and finished as the conference runner-up last season before claiming a historic NCAA South Central Regional championship.
Cheruiyot returns after an All-America performance in last season's NCAA Championships. Two other all-conference performers in Silas Kiptanui and Tommy Rice return on the men's side to join Cheruiyot. The women's team returns a quartet of all-conference performers from a year ago: Blezzin Kimutai, Naibei, Haley Harper, and Petra Dos Santos. Cheruiyot and Kimutai were the men's and women's American runners-up, respectively.
After tomorrow's season-opener, the Wave will have two weekends of reprieve before hitting the course once more in the 48th Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational in Chicago, Illinois. The event is hosted by Loyola Chicago on Friday, September 25.
TICKETS
Tickets for the football, volleyball and men's and women's basketball campaigns can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.
DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL TULANE ATHLETICS APP
Download the official mobile app of Tulane Athletics. Now, you can stay in touch with the Green Wave anytime and anywhere on your Android or iOS mobile device.
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Tulane cross country and track & field on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
GREEN WAVE CLUB
Giving to the Green Wave Club provides Tulane Athletics with the resources student‑athletes need to excel in competition and in the classroom. Your support directly improves the lives of current and future Green Wave student‑athletes and enhances Tulane's competitiveness in intercollegiate athletics. Make a gift today by calling (504) 865‑5356, emailing greenwaveclub@tulane.edu, or visiting GreenWaveClub.com.
The field features 11 teams and will serve as a regional showcase. Of the participants, only two are not from Louisiana – South Alabama and Southern Miss. Hosts Tulane and LSU New Orleans are joined by seven fellow Pelican State programs: Dillard, Loyola (New Orleans), LSU, Nicholls, Southeastern Louisiana, Southern, and Xavier (LA). Live results for the event will be available here.
The Green Wave swept last year's Battle for New Orleans in dominant fashion. Both the men's and women's teams topped their respective leaderboards with returners Bernard Cheruiyot and Dorcas Naibei taking the individual victories. Each program secured four of the top-five finishers in their respective races.
Tulane's men's team enters the season ranked No. 22 nationally in the USTFCCCA coaches poll. They are tabbed second in the South Central Region while the Wave women are slotted third regionally. Both of Tulane's programs were predicted to finish first place in the American Conference preseason coaches polls. Tulane's women's team is the defending conference champion and has claimed two of the last three titles. The men's team last won in 2024 and finished as the conference runner-up last season before claiming a historic NCAA South Central Regional championship.
Cheruiyot returns after an All-America performance in last season's NCAA Championships. Two other all-conference performers in Silas Kiptanui and Tommy Rice return on the men's side to join Cheruiyot. The women's team returns a quartet of all-conference performers from a year ago: Blezzin Kimutai, Naibei, Haley Harper, and Petra Dos Santos. Cheruiyot and Kimutai were the men's and women's American runners-up, respectively.
After tomorrow's season-opener, the Wave will have two weekends of reprieve before hitting the course once more in the 48th Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational in Chicago, Illinois. The event is hosted by Loyola Chicago on Friday, September 25.
TICKETS
Tickets for the football, volleyball and men's and women's basketball campaigns can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.
DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL TULANE ATHLETICS APP
Download the official mobile app of Tulane Athletics. Now, you can stay in touch with the Green Wave anytime and anywhere on your Android or iOS mobile device.
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Tulane cross country and track & field on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
GREEN WAVE CLUB
Giving to the Green Wave Club provides Tulane Athletics with the resources student‑athletes need to excel in competition and in the classroom. Your support directly improves the lives of current and future Green Wave student‑athletes and enhances Tulane's competitiveness in intercollegiate athletics. Make a gift today by calling (504) 865‑5356, emailing greenwaveclub@tulane.edu, or visiting GreenWaveClub.com.
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