The 15th-ranked Middlebury men’s cross country team takes to the starting line for its 2026 campaign when it hosts the 15th annual Aldrich Invitational on Saturday, September 12. The Panthers look to build off a third-place finish at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships. Middlebury appeared on the national stage for the 15th time a season ago, claiming 21st place. Captaining the squad this fall will be the duo of Benjamin Hughes and Charlie Kessler.

Hughes returns for his final year in a Panther uniform after earning regional recognition for the third-consecutive fall and his second All-NESCAC honor with a 12th-place finish at the conference championship (24:46.2). He was the fourth runner to cross the line during the regional event and was a member of the NCAA Championship lineup. Ethan Sholk collected his first all-region accolade after a top-35 finish at the regional meet (25:40.8) and logged his best 8K time at last year’s Connecticut College Invitational (24:58.9). 

Cameron Miles returns after competing in the league (25:24.3 - 33rd), regional (25:37.2 - 19th) and national (25:32.1) invites. Nathan Szubin looks to build off a strong rookie season that saw him drop 60 seconds between his first collegiate 8K clocking and his personal-record effort of 25:37.7 in New London. Classmate Ian Larkin returns to the fold this season after a season-best clocking at the Connecticut College Invitational (25:46.9). 

Benjamin Prestes was a consistent point scorer last fall in the lineup, setting his collegiate-best time of 26:04.8 during the Paul Short Run. A mixture of other returners and five first-year runners will battle for spots in the lineup.

Wilkerson begins her 16th season as head coach, while assistant coach Bruce Ingersoll returns for his 10th campaign with the Panthers. Under Wilkerson’s direction, the team won the NESCAC title in 2010 and has finished as the league runner-up on four occasions. The squad also posted a seventh-place finish at the 2013 NCAA meet.