BARSTOW, Calif. — The College of Southern Nevada men's and women's cross country teams opened the 2026 season in championship fashion Friday, sweeping the team titles at the Barstow Community College XC Invite while Jayden Jackson captured the men's individual crown.

The Coyotes entered their season opener with a specific training plan rather than an emphasis on early-season times. With temperatures climbing on a demanding Barstow course, both teams were asked to run controlled through the majority of their races before competing over the final mile.

The approach paid off with a pair of team victories and a dominant collection of individual finishes.

Jackson led the way for the CSN men in the four-mile race, crossing the finish line first overall in 21:30.1.

Southern Nevada's depth quickly took over from there. Kyle Gwerder placed fifth in 22:39.1, Cannon Bishop finished sixth in 22:44.8, Myles Oliver was seventh in 22:55.4 and Jorrin Johnston crossed eighth in 23:00.0, giving the Coyotes five of the first eight finishers.

Those performances produced a winning team score of 27 points, edging Bakersfield, which finished second with 34. Chaffey placed third with 99, followed by Victor Valley with 109 and host Barstow with 110.

CSN continued to fill the front of the field beyond its five scoring runners. Jy Black finished 10th in 23:40.7, Elias Salas-Santes was 12th in 23:44.5 and Benjamin Killebrew placed 13th in 23:52.5. Caden Gwerder finished 16th in 24:23.2, while Jadon Williams and Domingo Gonzalez crossed 20th and 21st in 24:28.2 and 24:28.7, respectively.

The men's race plan called for three controlled miles before racing the final mile. With the heat intensifying and the additional loop required to complete the four-mile course featuring an uphill finish, the Coyotes focused on effort and closing strong — and delivered.

The CSN women were equally impressive in their season debut, placing four runners among the top five on their way to the team championship.

Sienna Maisano paced the Lady Coyotes with a runner-up finish in the women's 5K, crossing in 21:02.4. Katie Iniguez followed in third at 21:12.2, Johnna Waldahl placed fourth in 21:17.1 and Lola Decania finished fifth in 22:02.4.

Madison Schrade completed CSN's scoring five, while Leara Alcala also competed for Southern Nevada.

The Lady Coyotes finished with 23 points, comfortably ahead of runner-up Bakersfield's 36 and third-place Victor Valley's 67.

CSN's women entered the race with instructions to tempo the opening two miles before turning the final mile into a race. Despite the heat and challenging course, the Lady Coyotes steadily moved through the field over the closing stretch and executed the race plan as intended.

For Southern Nevada, the opening meet provided an early glimpse of the depth on both rosters. The Coyotes left Barstow with two team championships, an individual title and nine top-eight finishes between the men's and women's races.

CSN will continue its 2026 schedule with its next competition as the Coyotes build toward the championship portion of the season.