NASHVILLE — Tennessee State men's and women's cross country enter the 2026 season with young rosters, returning leadership and a pair of Ohio Valley Conference runners to watch as the Tigers look to build throughout the fall. Aaron Davis and Jurnee Rutherford headline the group ahead of the season opener Sept. 1 at the Vanderbilt Invitational in Nashville.

Director of track and field and cross country Chandra Cheeseborough enters the season encouraged by the leadership within both programs and the direction of the young teams.

On the men's side, Delton White and Davis are expected to provide leadership for the Tigers. Davis enters his sophomore season after being selected as Tennessee State's representative on the 2026 OVC Men's Cross Country Watch List.

Davis, a Lincoln, Alabama, native, competes in cross country and the 800 meters and earned Dean's List recognition during his first year at TSU. He credited cross country with helping his development for the track season and enters the fall focused on continued improvement.

Maleia Ali and Haley Blades highlight the returning group for the women's team and will be counted on to provide experience and leadership throughout the season.

Ali, a junior from McDonough, Georgia, returns with two years of eligibility remaining. The mechanical engineering major has earned Dean's List recognition at TSU.

The Tigers also added several newcomers, including Nashville native Maxwell Myers and Rutherford.

Rutherford will be one of the newcomers to watch after being selected as Tennessee State's representative on the 2026 OVC Women's Cross Country Watch List. The freshman from Smyrna, Tennessee, competed at Stewarts Creek High School and with Rutherford County Track Club. She competes in cross country and the 800 meters and identified her work ethic as something she hopes to bring to the program.

Myers joins the Tigers after graduating from Hillsboro High School in Nashville. The freshman is an 800-meter runner and plans to major in chemistry at Tennessee State.

OVC Runners to Watch

Davis and Rutherford were selected as Tennessee State's runners to watch by the OVC entering the 2026 season.

Davis joins Eastern Illinois' Jiberil Lesman, Lindenwood's Isaac Ndiwa, Morehead State's Jake Hagan, Southeast Missouri's Myles Thornburg, SIUE's Christian Knobloch, Southern Indiana's Kraedyn Young, UT Martin's Will Douglas and Western Illinois' Eason Comer on the men's watch list.

Rutherford represents TSU on the women's watch list alongside Eastern Illinois' Avery Braker, Lindenwood's Makenna Smith, Morehead State's Shelby Lamb, Southeast Missouri's Lauren Eftink, SIUE's Erica Woodard, Southern Indiana's Addison Applegate, UT Martin's Reese Settle and Western Illinois' Emma-Kate Watt.

2026 Schedule

Tennessee State's schedule features four regular-season meets before the OVC Championships, beginning with the Vanderbilt Invitational on Sept. 1 in Nashville.

The Tigers will travel to Huntsville, Alabama, for the Legacy Series Invite on Sept. 11. The HBCU matchup will provide the young TSU roster with another early-season opportunity to gain experience.

Tennessee State returns to Nashville on Sept. 26 for the Michael Pretorius Invite, hosted by Trevecca at The Hermitage.

The Tigers will then travel to Louisville, Kentucky, for the Swags Louisville Cross Country Classic on Oct. 3. The meet will serve as TSU's final competition before the conference championships.

The four-meet regular-season schedule leads into the OVC Championships on Oct. 30 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Around the OVC

Tennessee State will compete against a conference field that returns five men's and four women's All-OVC performers from last season.

Eastern Illinois' Cale Smith, Morehead State's Aidan Massey, Southern Indiana's Alex Nolan and UT Martin's Keagan Enicks and Angus Monro return on the men's side.

Southeast Missouri's Nova Ojutkangas, Southern Indiana's Ellie Hall and Zoe Seward and Western Illinois' Lydia Bennett headline the returning All-OVC runners on the women's side.

With a young roster, Cheeseborough expects the returning leadership and early-season meets to play an important role in the Tigers' development ahead of the OVC Championships.

Tennessee State opens the 2026 season Tuesday, Sept. 1, at the Vanderbilt Invitational in Nashville.