UMBC Takes Third, Mount St. Mary’s Fourth as Maryland Programs Open Cross Country Season at Mount 5K Duals
UMBC and Mount St. Mary’s women’s cross country opened the 2026 season with promising performances Friday afternoon at the annual Mount 5K Duals in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The Retrievers finished third with 64 points, while the host Mountaineers placed fourth with 86 points on the PNC Sports Complex course. Howard captured the team championship with 28 points, followed by Towson in second with 48.
For Maryland Sports Blog, the meet offered plenty to like from both programs. UMBC received immediate contributions from freshmen Alyssa Mattes and Kiki Andersen, who both finished inside the top 10, while Mount St. Mary’s countered with a pair of top-10 performances from senior Chloe McCarthy and freshman Mary Kate Zollers. Four of the first 10 finishers therefore came from the two Maryland programs MSB covers at the meet.
UMBC freshmen make immediate impact
Mattes could hardly have asked for a better beginning to her collegiate cross country career. The freshman led UMBC by finishing sixth overall in 19:29.46, immediately establishing herself as one of the Retrievers’ leading runners. Head coach Mike DuPaul entered the season opener looking to evaluate the program’s younger athletes and middle-distance runners, and Mattes provided an immediate answer.
Andersen was not far behind. Another freshman, she completed the 5K in 19:37.27 to finish ninth overall, putting a second UMBC runner among the top 10. DuPaul praised both freshmen afterward for executing the team’s race plan, and their performances give UMBC an intriguing young foundation as the distances and competition increase later in the season.
The strong freshman performances were particularly notable given UMBC’s recent history at this event. The Retrievers won the women’s Mount 5K Duals team championship in 2024, and UMBC has captured two women’s team championships overall. The program also produced the individual champion in each of the previous two editions, with Alexis Tepper winning in 2024 and 2025.
Sophomore sisters Emily and Elizabeth Mitroka gave UMBC additional depth behind the two freshmen. Emily finished 13th in 20:27.36, with Elizabeth immediately behind her in 14th at 20:35.43. Putting four runners among the first 14 finishers gave the Retrievers a solid scoring foundation despite Howard and Towson ultimately finishing ahead of them in the team race.
Olivia Virago finished 23rd in 21:42.66, while Ava Huffman crossed 29th in 24:27.31. Those performances completed UMBC’s group as the Retrievers finished with 64 points. The result gives DuPaul several young runners to continue developing after a season opener specifically designed to test the depth of his roster.
McCarthy, Zollers lead Mount St. Mary’s
Mount St. Mary’s had its own impressive combination of experience and youth at the front of the field. McCarthy led the Mountaineers with an eighth-place finish in 19:35.7, improving upon her team-leading performance from the previous season. The senior gave the Mount an experienced runner near the front while competing on the program’s home course.
Zollers then made an immediate impression in her first collegiate race. The freshman finished exactly 10th with a time of 19:49, giving Mount St. Mary’s two runners inside the top 10. Having a freshman already running alongside the program’s senior leader was one of the most encouraging developments from the Mountaineers’ opening meet.
Riley Bell, Katelynn Odums and Audrey Musmeci also scored for Mount St. Mary’s. Their contributions helped the Mountaineers finish fourth with 86 points, 22 behind UMBC. Mount St. Mary’s entered the season with 11 women on its cross country roster as part of a program featuring seven true freshmen between its men’s and women’s teams.
The meet also marked the 20th time Mount St. Mary’s opened its season by hosting the 5K Duals. The event has become a traditional early-season measuring stick for several regional programs, with the 2026 field consisting of Mount St. Mary’s, UMBC, Howard, Towson, Goucher and Washington Adventist. The women began competition at 4 p.m., followed by the men’s race at 4:30.
Four top-10 runners between MSB’s Maryland programs
One of the biggest takeaways for MSB was the amount of Maryland representation near the front of the women’s race. Mattes finished sixth for UMBC, McCarthy eighth for Mount St. Mary’s, Andersen ninth for UMBC and Zollers 10th for the Mount. The performances meant both programs left Emmitsburg with multiple runners capable of competing near the front of a Division I field.
There was also an encouraging balance between established runners and newcomers. McCarthy provided Mount St. Mary’s with veteran leadership, while Mattes, Andersen and Zollers demonstrated how much young talent exists between the two programs. Early September cross country results do not determine what will happen during championship season, but performances like these give both coaching staffs legitimate pieces to develop.
Howard ultimately controlled the team competition and completed a sweep of the men’s and women’s championships. The Bison women finished with 28 points, while Towson took second with 48 before UMBC and Mount St. Mary’s followed in third and fourth. Towson’s Anna Amato won the women’s individual championship.
For UMBC, the third-place result represents a solid starting point for a roster that DuPaul intentionally used the opener to evaluate. Having two freshmen immediately crack the top 10 provides an especially promising development for the remainder of the fall. Mattes and Andersen now have a collegiate race under their belts and have already demonstrated that they can compete near the front.
Mount St. Mary’s can leave its home opener encouraged as well. McCarthy looked ready to provide senior leadership, while Zollers’ 10th-place collegiate debut was one of the Mountaineers’ biggest positives. With a roster containing several young runners, the Mount now has an early benchmark from which to build.
MSB Take
This was a good afternoon for Maryland cross country even though neither UMBC nor Mount St. Mary’s won the team championship. Four top-10 finishers between the two programs is significant, particularly when three of those runners — Mattes, Andersen and Zollers — are freshmen. Both programs found young athletes who could become important parts of their lineups much sooner than expected.
UMBC has to be especially encouraged by finishing third while using the opener to showcase younger runners and middle-distance athletes. Mattes finishing sixth in her first collegiate race is an excellent result, and Andersen following in ninth gives the Retrievers two freshmen to watch closely. Add the Mitroka sisters finishing consecutively in 13th and 14th, and UMBC already appears to have some legitimate depth.
The Mount should feel similarly positive about McCarthy and Zollers. McCarthy gave the Mountaineers the veteran performance they needed, while Zollers immediately showed that she can contribute at the Division I level. Finishing fourth is secondary this early in September to discovering what the lineup could look like when the important championship races arrive.
For MSB, this is also exactly the type of meet where both Maryland programs deserve to be featured together. UMBC finished third and Mount St. Mary’s fourth, but both left Emmitsburg with legitimate individual performances worth following throughout the 2026 season.
