CUTHBERT, Ga. – The Andrew College Men's and Women's Cross Country programs will make history Friday, Sept. 4, as they compete in their first meet as four-year members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) at the 2026 VSU Border Clash.
The season-opening meet will take place at Freedom Park in Valdosta, Ga., with Valdosta State University serving as the host institution. The men's 7.5K race is scheduled to begin at 6:20 p.m., followed by the women's 5K race at 7 p.m. The top five finishers for both the men's and women's teams will contribute to the Fighting Tigers' overall team scores.
Along with traditional team competition, the meet will score the top five finishers from programs located in both Georgia and Florida to determine which state takes home the Border Clash and bragging rights.
On the women's side, Andrew will open the season against Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC), Albany State, Baptist University of Florida, Central Florida, Enterprise State Community College, Flagler, Georgia Southwestern, Lurleen B. Wallace (LBW) Community College, Pensacola State College, Thomas University and Valdosta State.
The men's field includes ABAC, Baptist University of Florida, Enterprise State Community College, Flagler, Florida College, Georgia Southwestern, LBW Community College, Thomas University and Valdosta State.
The Lady Tigers will be represented by five runners in Julia Folds, Carmen Scott, Skyler Long, Tatianna Lundy and Khadijatou Tall.
Cesar Posada, Javien Butts, Elijah Caudle, Kendarius Steen and Donte Avalos will don the Blue and Gold for the Andrew men.
The course at Freedom Park features grassy terrain with stretches of packed dirt, crushed gravel and several rolling hills, along with a long start and finish stretch to accommodate the large field of competition.
"The Border Clash is a great place for our program to open up the year," Head Men's & Women's Cross Country Coach McKinley Ward-La Salle said. "It will be a challenging course and field to contend with and will serve us well later in the year as training progresses. The Fighting Tigers look forward to representing the Southern States Athletics Conference (SSAC) and the NAIA as we present our XC program for the first time in competition."
Friday's meet will officially mark the return of Cross Country at Andrew College and the beginning of a new era for the program as the Fighting Tigers take the course for the first time as members of the NAIA and SSAC.
Located in Cuthbert, Georgia, Andrew College is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The Fighting Tigers sponsor 16 sports and compete in the Southern States Athletic Conference.
