Bruins cross country looks to add to their illustrious history with the addition of five new recruits coming into the 2025 fall season. Two new women and three new men look to make a big impact for the Bruins after losing several key pieces from last year's teams.

"Our 2025 cross country recruits balance great athletics achievement with professional academic degrees and a strong desire for spiritual growth," said Head Coach Ken Roach. "They are well accomplished, mature, and ready for this next step in their development. The team is excited to welcome them to their new athletic home, and we can't wait for their arrival on campus.  Bob Jones University is a great Christ-centered destination, and I know they will contribute immediately to team's mission."

Lillian Strange:
Lillian is joining the Bruins from Inman, South Carolina. She has ran most of her life and began running competitively during high school. Her high school team took second place at their state championship meet. In track, she is a strong 3200 meter runner and looks to translate that to cross country this fall. She is double majoring in Keyboard Performance and Mathematics.

Samantha Jones:
Samanatha is from Gunnison, Colorado. Though her primary sport in high school was swimming, she also ran cross country all four years of high school. She is looking to continue the running experience and impact the Bruins in a big way this fall. She is earning her degree in Nursing.

Dillon Koop:
Dillon is from Abingdon, Maryland and initially came to BJU to run track as a hurdler. While he will still compete in the hurdle with the track team in the spring, he transitioned into a distance runner and will join the incoming class of cross country runners. He is getting his degree in Sport Management.

Judah Nash:
Judah is from Rock Hill, South Carolina and is joining the Bruins after an incredible high school career. As a two-time all-state and three-time all-region, Judah looks to carry over that speed to the college level. He's coming in with a 5k personal best time of 16:04. He plans to study Engineering. 

Harold Wood:
Harold is coming to BJU from West Chester, Pennsylvania. He has been running since the beginning of high school and is excited to keep running in college. He is planning to study Studio Art or Interior Design.

"This team's strength is rooted in its desire to support one another and glorify God in our performance," senior captain Liz Farley said. "The whole team wants to see each other succeed and makes it a point to encourage one another. I'm excited to see how our new freshman impact the performance and encouragement on our team this season."

"The freshman coming in are good guys and I'm looking forward to see them come in and encourage us by their work ethic," junior Joel Batres said. "This season is definitely going to put our competitive nature to the test and it's going to be difficult, but we get to enjoy going through it together which makes this team special."

These new runners and the rest of the Bruins cross country team looks forward to the start of their season at the Eye Opener hosted by USC Upstate on August 29. The full 2025 cross country schedule can be found here.