NEW YORK – A pair of Providence student-athletes have earned BIG EAST Cross Country honors in the first weekly awards of the 2026 season. The Friars' Gabby Schmidt was named BIG EAST Female Athlete of the Week and Cormac Dixon earned Male Athlete of the Week honors after outstanding performances at the Friar Invitational.
BIG EAST Female Athlete of the Week
Gabby Schmidt, Providence, Jr.
For the second season in a row, Schmidt took first place honors at the Friar Invitational race, covering the four-kilometer course at the Mark Coogan Course in Attleboro, Mass. in a time of 13:51.1. Her time set a new course record, besting the previous mark by more than five seconds. Schmidt led Providence to the team title, going 1-2-3 across the finish line as five Friars finished in the top nine of the race, outlasting No. 23 Princeton.
BIG EAST Male Athlete of the Week
Cormac Dixon, Providence, Jr.
Dixon placed third overall at the Friar Invitational, covering the six-kilometer course in a time of 18:10.9. Dixon improved on his time at the Friar Invite by over 32 seconds, year-over-year. The junior led a Friar contingency that placed four runners among the top 12 and five among the top 20 as the team placed second overall in a nine-team field, comprised of teams which rank among the top 15 in both the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
Women's Notes – Creighton's Taylor Rorick took the lead in the final 300 meters to capture the Platte River Rumble Gold 5K race in a time of 17:41.4 - her first collegiate cross country victory...the Bluejays placed second as a team...Kalina Urbaniak of DePaul opened her 2026 cross country season with a first place finish at the Huskie Opener, covering the 5K course in 18:06.40...the Blue Demons placed third as a team, with five runners finishing among the top 13...Georgetown placed second at the Spider Alumni Open, placing three runners among the top six overall...the Hoyas were led by a second place finish by Tess Sherry, placing third in a time of 14:21.5 (4K) in her cross country debut...Providence's team title at the Friar Invitational marked the sixth consecutive season with a victory in the season-opening meet...Seton Hall's Paige Quigley was runner-up at the Temple Owl Invitational, covering the 4K course in a tie of 15:31.50.
Men's Notes – DePaul freshman Alex Krieg won his first-ever collegiate race, taking the Huskie Opener in a 6K personal-best time of 19:00.13...the Blue Demons took the team title, sweeping the top three spots while placing five runners among the top six and seven in the top 10...Georgetown's Birhanu Harriman registered a personal-best time of 18:26 for 6K, helping the Hoyas to a second place finish at the Spider Alumni Open...the Hoyas had four runners finish among the top 10 and all five scorers among the top 11 overall...Providence was second as a team in the nine-team field at the Friar Invitational...Creighton's Tommy Murray finished fourth overall at the Platte River Rumble Gold race, covering the 6K course in 18:47.9...the Bluejays were second overall as a team, finishing behind Kansas State...Seton Hall was third as a team at the Temple Owl Invitational, led by Joseph Butler's top 15 finish.
In The Polls – BIG EAST cross country teams are well-represented on the 2026 USTFCCCA Preseason National Polls, released on Sept. 1.
On the women's poll, Villanova sits at No. 27, followed by Georgetown at No. 29. Providence also received votes. For the men, Butler is No. 16, while Georgetown and Villanova both received votes.
Several BIG EAST teams are featured among the USTFCCCA Regional rankings.
Women
Mid-Atlantic: 4. Villanova; 5. Georgetown
Northeast: 2. Providence; 6. UConn
Men
Great Lakes: 3. Butler
Mid-Atlantic: 2. Georgetown; 3. Villanova
Northeast: 3. Providence