World XC Championships: Alabama Stars Run Well

Sean Allan

The 2026 World Cross Country Championships were held Saturday, January 10, with Tallahassee, Florida hosting the global showdown. Competing on home soil has inspired a deep and talented group of American athletes, many of whom sharpened their fitness during the fall cross country season in preparation for this moment.

From Parker Wolfe 2020 RunningLane National Cross Country Champion to Weini Kelati Frezghi, some of the biggest names in U.S. distance running toed the line. Competition opened with the Mixed Relay, followed by the U20 and Senior Championships throughout the morning.  Several runners in the World Cross Country Championship have Alabama ties!

Team USA - Mixed Relay

Athletes qualified by finishing in the top two of their respective 2K races at the USATF Cross Country Championships.  Alabama's very own Ethan Strand led off for team USA where he ran a sensational first leg handing off in first place to Sage Hurta-Klecker.  Ethan is an Alabama native where he competed for Vestavia Hills High School.  Ethan came onto the high school scene wowing spectators with his sensational closing speed and now trains with the Nike Swoosh Track Club in Flagstaff, Arizona.

  • Ethan Strand - Vestavia Hills High School - Multi AHSAA State Champion

  • Wes Porter

  • Gracie Morris

  • Sage Hurta-Klecker

Team USA - Senior Cross Country

Senior team members earned their spots by placing in the top six of the men's and women's 10K races at the USATF Championships. Parker Wolfe of Cherry Creek High School, Colorado and then the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill led Team USA's Senior Men's Team to a 4th place team finish.  Wolfe who is training partners with Ethan finished 12th in the Senior Men's race.

Men

  • Parker Wolfe - 2020 RunningLane National Cross Country Champion

  • Wesley Kiptoo

  • Ahmed Muhumed

  • Nico Young

  • Graham Blanks

Women

  • Weini Kelati Frezghi

  • Katie Izzo

  • Ednah Kurgat

  • Karissa Schweizer

  • Emily Venters

  • Grace Hartman

Team USA - U20 Cross Country

U20 athletes qualified by finishing in the top five at the USATF U20 Championships or by being the top American finisher at Nike Cross Nationals.  Daniel Skandera of Warrior, Alabama doesn't race often, but when he does he usually puts on a great show.  Skandera finished 19th in the U20 race just two seconds behind NXN and Brooks Champion Jackson Spencer.  Daniel was Team USA's 3rd runner and helped the U20 Men's team bring home Bronze!

Men

  • Aidan Torres

  • Tyler Daillak

  • Daniel Skandera - 2023 Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Champion

  • Salvador Wirth

  • Dylan Maloney

  • Jackson Spencer

Women

  • Daniela Scheffler

  • Caroline Barton

  • Abigail Sewell

  • Norah Hushagen

  • Avery Marasco-Johnson

  • Blair Bartlett

With a mix of seasoned veterans and rising stars, Team USA performed well in Tallahassee.