WINCHESTER, Va. --- Washington and Lee University stands atop the ODAC cross country world for the second straight season as the Generals lifted both conference trophies following a day of outstanding running at the 2026 ODAC Cross Country Championships hosted by Shenandoah University.
ODAC competitors and fans alike could not have asked for a better day with temperatures in the low to mid 60's by the end of the men's 8K race following a brisk but pleasant setting for the women's 6K event that kicked off the morning at historic Kernstown Battlefield in Winchester, Va.
Washington and Lee improved its ODAC-record number of women's cross country titles to 22 by posting just 46 points, one fewer than last season. The Generals accomplished this year's feat without back-to-back individual champion, Olivia Warr, but still saw runners in blue & white cross the finish line second, seventh, 11th, 12th, and 14th to account for their final team total. The University of Lynchburg finished as the runner-up with 64 points followed closely by Batten University with 66 markers in third.
In the men's ranks, Washington and Lee tied Lynchburg's 1989 outfit for second-lowest score in conference history with 16 points, one tally shy of the lowest point total possible. Generals placed first through fourth and then sixth with only Lynchburg's top runner keeping WLU from an all-time benchmark on the way to its ODAC second-best 16th men's crown. Lynchburg finished second with 45 points, while Roanoke College slotted third with 80 markers.
Individually, both champions are credited with establishing new course records, although each of the top-five men's finishers cleared the previous Kernstown Battlefield standard.
Batten's Ester Zar blistered the field in the women's 6K championship, becoming the second runner in Marlins' program history (Marissa Coombs, 2017) to win the ODAC individual title. She crossed the line in 21:44.1 to break the record of 21:55.8 set by Kelsey Lagunas from Lynchburg in 2022 and out-pace runner-up Adelaide Ellis from Washington and Lee by 1:11.2.
WLU's Matt Kelly led the five-man contingent that broke former Lynchburg All-American Frank Csorba's 2022 record time of 25:38.4. Kelly finished the 8K test at 24:53.6, 15.6 seconds clear of teammate and 2025 ODAC individual champ Sam Daunt.
Both Zar and Kelly were named the ODAC Runners of the Meet. The ODAC Rookie of the Meet awards went to Batten's Ella Moskowitz and Lynchburg's James Mulcahy as the top rookie-eligible finishers on the day. Moskowitz placed third in the women's race at 23:20.5, while Mulcahy placed 10th in the men's event at 25:59.7.
Additionally, the conference recognized its 2026 ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year honorees for women's and men's cross country. SU's Madison Chorney – who placed sixth overall (23:37.8) in the women's championship – and WLU's Robert Cooper – who chimed in third (25:27.2) in the men's race – received those honors from the league's athletic communications and sports information personnel.
Below is the full slate of All-ODAC awards. Runners that finished seventh or better receive All-ODAC First Team laurels, with finishers 8-14 garnering All-ODAC Second Team distinction and those that crossed the line 15-21 earning All-ODAC Third Team plaudits.