By Griff Stachler ‘27
On Saturday, Sept. 5, the cross country team kicked off the 2026 season at Lyons Township High School for the annual Mike Kuharic Invitational. This season marks a pivotal moment in the BRXC program. Upon the graduation of six seniors, including all-star runner Andrew Straley, the team was left with a huge hole to fill. However, coaches and team members alike are eager to face this challenge head on and hope to continue the momentum of the last few years.
The team met in the early morning at Brother Rice and took the 25-minute or so ride to the meet. Everyone scouted out the course, even seasoned veterans. Around an hour before race time, pre-race rituals began, with stretches, drills, and team prayer. At 8:30 a.m., the starter shot his gun, and the first race of the season was off. Two hours later, the freshmen-sophomore race commenced.
Newcomer sophomore Charlie Cushing said, “For me, I just need to keep focusing on getting better times and having a good mental side for before, during, and after the race.” Cushing decided to join cross country after his outstanding performance on the track and field team his freshman year. Along with the nine freshmen, Cushing is expected to be a key team member in the next couple of seasons.
Freshman team members aren’t the only new element this season, however. Legendary Brother Rice coach Dan Dwyer joins the cross country team as the new assistant coach. Following both of the races, he said, “I enjoyed being near the end to push and cheer on the guys as they finished.” The team is certainly lucky to have such a cheerleader and mentor in Coach Dwyer.
The team finished fifth out of 23 teams in the open race, and 15th out of 18 teams in the freshmen-sophomore race. Top finishers in the open include sophomore Charlie Cushing in 13th and senior Dylan Cody in 28th place. The top freshmen-sophomore racers were freshman Noah Vasquez, sophomore Travon Clay, and freshman Lucas Paolicchi, all performing in the top half of the competition field.
While the Mike Kuharic Invitational was a decent start, the team has a ways to go in developing team culture as well as improving times. Junior Wyatt Cosme said, “We have a lot of room to progress, but I’m excited to see where this team goes.”
