Westminster Men's Cross Country

Westminster men's cross country competes in the RMAC under Janelle Branch, head coach of the men's and women's cross country and track and field programs. The official 2026 roster lists 10 runners, and seven of them are freshmen or sophomores.

The home meet

Westminster hosted teams from Utah, Colorado and Idaho for 5K races at Sugar House Park on September 10. Freshman Joaquin Stultz of Sandy led the Griffins in sixth place in 16:03.18, and freshman Coen Whitney was 12th in 16:14.86, according to the official recap. Seniors Elliot Vargas and Diego Escalante were 19th and 25th. At the season-opening 3-mile Utah Valley Invitational on September 4, Stultz was also Westminster's first finisher, 34th in 15:37.56.

The road to November

As of September 22, the schedule has the Griffins at the Charles Bowles Invitational in Salem, Oregon, on October 3 and the Dr. Thad Scholes XC Invitational in Twin Falls, Idaho, on October 9, before returning to Sugar House Park for the Utah Open on October 15. The RMAC Championship is November 7 in Rapid City, South Dakota. The NCAA Division II Championships are November 21 in Lubbock, Texas.

The coach

Branch was one of three event managers on Team USATF's staff at the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, in August, and chairs USA Track & Field's Athletes' Commission. Her path from the U.S. Navy to Westminster is covered in a separate story.