Kelly Bird, Linfield Sports Communications

Cross Country adds depth and experience entering McIsaac's second season

By Chase Fisk, Director of Athletic Communications

09/01

Linfield men's and women's cross country enter their second season under head coach Chris McIsaac with considerably more depth and experience than a year ago. After relying heavily on newcomers throughout McIsaac's first season, the Wildcats return many of their top runners from 2025 while adding nine freshmen to a roster that has grown to 20 student-athletes.

Ximena Sanchez-Lopez, Mia McCormack, Liberty McElfatrick

The young Wildcats showed improvement throughout the 2025 season before the women placed eighth and the men ninth at the Northwest Conference Championships in Tacoma, Washington. Freshmen Mya Budzik and Marco Stroman quickly emerged as Linfield's most consistent frontrunners. Budzik led the women's team in several races, including a season-best 5K performance of 21:13.6 at the Charles Bowles Invitational, before Jasmine Solso led Linfield at the NWC Championships with a 26:26.1 6K, narrowly ahead of Budzik's 26:41.3. Stroman similarly established himself atop the men's lineup, leading Linfield for the majority of the season and running 27:13.01 over 8K at the Charles Bowles Invitational before pacing the Wildcats at the NWC Championships in 28:04.9. CJ Brindeiro provided another consistent presence and ran his season-best 8K of 28:20.4 at the George Oja Invitational before finishing as Linfield's No. 2 runner at the conference meet. The Wildcats' NWC Championship lineup featured zero seniors, allowing the program to carry much of the experience gained during McIsaac's first season into 2026.

2025 Season Results

2026 Roster

The McMinnville, Oregon, native led the Wildcats in each of the team's first three races of 2025 and continued to occupy the front of the lineup throughout the fall. At the Charles Bowles Invitational, Budzik recorded her best 5K performance of the season, crossing the finish line in 21:13.6. She later produced a 6K personal best of 25:09.3 at Linfield's George Oja Invitational, once again leading the Wildcats.

Budzik was second among the Wildcats at the Northwest Conference Championships, finishing just behind fellow freshman Jasmine Solso in difficult rainy, windy and muddy conditions. Her 26:41.3 performance helped Linfield place eighth, one position better than the Wildcats had been selected in the NWC preseason coaches poll. Following her first collegiate season, Budzik was named a 2025-26 Northwest Conference Scholar-Athlete as an elementary education and psychology major.

Sophomore Mya Budzik

Sophomore Marco Stroman

Sophomore Marco Stroman made an immediate impact at the front of Linfield's men's lineup. The Bainbridge Island, Washington native led the Wildcats in the majority of his races during his freshman campaign. Stroman opened his collegiate career as Linfield's top finisher at the Lewis & Clark Opener, running 16:37.54 over 5K, then continued to lead the group as the race distances increased.

Stroman delivered one of his top performances at the Charles Bowles Invitational, running 27:13.01 over eight kilometers to finish first among the Wildcats in a field of 333 runners. After missing the George Oja Invitational, he returned for the NWC Championships and again led Linfield, placing 51st overall in 28:04.9.

Senior CJ Brindeiro gives the Linfield men's team an experienced runner alongside its young returning group. The Hollister, California native arrived at Linfield in 2025 after spending two seasons at Monterey Peninsula College and quickly established himself as one of the Wildcats' top two runners. Brindeiro frequently ran behind Stroman during his first season in McMinnville and stepped into the No. 1 position when Stroman was unavailable at the George Oja Invitational.

Brindeiro recorded his fastest 8K of the season at that meet, crossing in 28:20.4 to lead Linfield. He followed with a 29:23.2 performance at the NWC Championships, finishing 66th overall and second among the Wildcats behind Stroman. Brindeiro's consistency gave Linfield an experienced presence throughout a season dominated by first-year runners. He was also named a 2025-26 Northwest Conference Scholar-Athlete as a history major.

Senior CJ Brindeiro

Sophomore Jasmine Solso

Sophomore Jasmine Solso returns after putting together a strong freshman season that culminated with her best finish within the Linfield lineup at the Northwest Conference Championships. The Raymond, Washington native was consistently among the Wildcats' top two women's runners throughout her debut season, frequently running alongside fellow freshman Mya Budzik at the front of the group.

Solso made an immediate impact in her collegiate debut at the Lewis & Clark Opener, finishing second among the Wildcats and recording what head coach Chris McIsaac described as an all-time personal best. She remained close behind Budzik at the Ash Creek Collegiate and Pacific Lutheran Invitational before lowering her 5K personal best to 21:59.5 at the Charles Bowles Invitational. Solso continued her improvement when the Wildcats moved to the 6K distance, running a personal-best 26:10.3 at the George Oja Invitational.

Linfield adds a sizable nine-member freshman class in 2026, including three women and six men. On the women's side, Brenna Gamache comes to McMinnville from Yakima, Washington and Selah High School, Isabella Manges joins the Wildcats from Bonney Lake, Washington and Bonney Lake High School, and Kara Regan arrives from Baker City, Oregon and Baker High School.

The men's freshman class includes three newcomers from Oregon and three from Washington. Darian Andrade comes from Cornelius, Oregon and Forest Grove High School, Vincent Andrews is from Springfield, Oregon and Springfield High School, and Joseph Nelson joins the Wildcats from Albany, Oregon and South Albany High School. Washington natives Jackson Fears of Seattle and Mountlake Terrace High School, Logan Marquart of Milton and Fife High School, and Teagan Randles of Duvall and Cedarcrest High School round out the incoming class.

Linfield entered 2025 with only one returning athlete and a men's roster composed entirely of newcomers. One year later, the Wildcats have 20 athletes between the two teams, including several runners who spent much of last season at the front of the lineup.

Linfield opens the 2026 season September 4 at the Harrier Classic at Joe Dancer Park in McMinnville. The schedule features six regular-season meets before the Northwest Conference Championships return to Oak Knoll Golf Course in Salem on October 31. With Budzik and Solso back to lead an expanded women's group and Stroman and Brindeiro providing an established combination atop the men's lineup, the Wildcats enter their second season under McIsaac with greater depth and a foundation of experience established during the program's rebuilding year.

2026 Linfield Cross Country Schedule

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