MIDWAY, Ky. – Ava Groves and Ethan Johnson led Campbellsville University with top-eight individual finishes as the Tiger women placed third and the men finished fourth Friday at the Midway University XC Invitational 2026.

• Johnson and Aaron Smith finished consecutively in the men's 8K, with Johnson placing eighth in 28:39.98 and Smith taking ninth in 28:41.76. Only 1.78 seconds separated Campbellsville's top two runners.
• The Tiger men placed four runners among the first 20 finishers. Dustin Ralph joined Johnson and Smith in the top 16, while Samuel Larson finished 20th.
• Campbellsville's men totaled 79 points, placing fourth in a six-team field and finishing 11 points behind third-place Georgetown College. The Tigers' scoring five averaged 29:17 with a 1:39 spread.
• Groves recorded Campbellsville's highest individual placement of the meet, completing the women's 6K in 26:03.48 to finish sixth overall. She crossed 12.42 seconds behind fifth place and was the first runner outside Georgetown's lead group to score.
• Julia Smaldone gave the Tiger women a second top-15 performance, placing 13th overall in 27:19.13. Groves and Smaldone combined for 18 of Campbellsville's 64 team points.
• All five of Campbellsville's scoring women placed among the first 19 finishers. The Tigers finished third in the five-team standings, 12 points behind host Midway University and 51 points ahead of fourth-place Johnson University.

Johnson set the pace for Campbellsville in the men's 8K, finishing eighth in 28:39.98. Smith crossed immediately behind him in 28:41.76, giving the Tigers two runners inside the top nine.

Ralph followed in 16th place with a time of 29:03.74, finishing less than 24 seconds behind Johnson. Larson supplied Campbellsville's fourth scoring result in 29:40.91, placing 20th overall.

Brian Kemboi completed the Tigers' scoring five in 26th place at 30:19.20. Austin Barnes finished 29th in 30:52.76, and Mathew Mattingly placed 36th in 32:08.66 as Campbellsville's two displacement runners.

Tyler Wilkerson crossed 37th in 32:51.63, followed by Wyatt Lawson in 38th at 33:03.97 and Corbin Hale in 43rd at 33:37.74. Campbellsville accumulated 79 points to finish fourth behind Midway, the University of Kentucky, and Georgetown.

In the women's 6K, Groves led the Tigers for the second consecutive meet, placing sixth in 26:03.48. Smaldone was the next Campbellsville runner across the line, finishing 13th in 27:19.13.

Amelia Larson placed 15th with a time of 28:44.91, while Karly Spalding followed in 17th at 29:19.22. Maggie Jewell closed Campbellsville's scoring lineup in 19th place, completing the course in 30:59.44.

Rebecca Stringer rounded out the Tiger contingent with a 20th-place time of 31:21.37. Campbellsville finished with 64 points and a scoring average of 28:29 to secure third place behind Georgetown and Midway.

The Tigers return to competition Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Swags Louisville Cross Country Classic in Louisville, Kentucky.