The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Cross Country’s McCullough named SEC Men’s Freshman of the Week
09.08.2026 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Freshman earns first career weekly honor following season-opening performance at Floyd Farms Invitational.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Texas Men's Cross Country freshman Kai McCullough has been named the SEC Men's Cross Country Freshman of the Week following his performance at the Floyd Farms Invitational, the conference office announced on Tuesday.
McCullough earned the first weekly honor of his career after helping the Longhorns sweep the men's team competition in their season opener. He finished fourth individually in the 3.11-mile race with a time of 16:15.9 and was part of a group of seven Texas runners who crossed the finish line together.
The Longhorns swept the top seven individual spots and posted a perfect score of 15 points to win the team competition. Aidan Torres led the group in first place, followed by Zain Hamdani in second and Hudson Bennett in third. McCullough, Joaquin De La Cruz, Griffen Saacke and Colby Huntress rounded out the top seven.
The Austin native is the first Longhorn to earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors for cross country.
Texas returns to action Friday, Sept. 11, at the Texas A&M Invitational in College Station.
