Spokane, Wash. - The Nighthawks cross country teams opened their 2026 season with strong performances at The Course in Spokane at the Clash of the Inland Northwest.
The conditions were great for the season opener, with temperatures in the low 50s, light rain throughout the race and The Course in great condition.
The women's team placed second overall with 74 points, beating eight other teams and only falling to host Gonzaga.
Hazel Kunkel led the Nighthawks with a 10th-place finish in 21:37. Cameron Moore and Zoey Stauffer followed closely behind, finishing 14th and 15th overall and just 0.7 seconds apart. Maddie Ingram had a massive personal best, finishing 23rd in 22:20, while Ella Bartlett rounded out the scoring five in 27th with a new personal best of 22:33. Hailey Jackson and McKenna Lechner also had strong races, finishing 29th and 30th overall. The Nighthawks showed their depth throughout the race as all seven of their top finishers broke the 23-minute mark in the 6K. Becca Darwood also ran a personal best in the 6K, finishing in 23:12. The freshman class also made a strong first impression in their first collegiate race, with Jackson finishing 29th and June Nemrow finishing 51st.
The men's team finished fourth overall with 99 points and had several standout performances of their own.
One of the highlights of the meet was seeing brothers Ian and Luke Stockett race together in cross country for the first time in three years. The brothers finished first and second for the Nighthawks, placing ninth and 10th overall and just 2.2 seconds apart. Ian finished in 24:15.7, while Luke followed in 24:17.9 and gained an 8K personal best. Micah Chi finished third for NNU and placed 43rd overall in 25:48. Nolan Oyer followed in 46th with a time of 25:54, while Emmett Stouffer rounded out the scoring five in 53rd with an 8K personal best of 26:02.
The Nighthawks had a strong start to the 2026 season with both teams showing depth and several athletes recording personal bests in the season opener. NNU will look to continue building off of this performance as the season continues.
