The Batten University men's cross country team competed at the 2026 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Championships, earning a sixth-place finish at Kernstown Battlefield in Winchester, Va.

The Marlins finished with 186 points, placing sixth among the nine teams that recorded team scores. Washington and Lee captured the conference championship with 16 points, followed by Lynchburg (45), Roanoke (80), Shenandoah (109) and Eastern Mennonite (160).

Freshman Wyatt Odom led the way for Batten in the men's 8K race, finishing 35th overall with a time of 27:19.4. Odom continued his strong freshman campaign, setting the pace for the Marlins at the conference championship.

Fellow freshman Gavin Gardner followed closely behind, finishing 42nd overall with a time of 27:42.1. Gardner's performance gave Batten two runners inside the top 45 and helped lead the Marlins' scoring effort.

Junior Casey Black was the third Marlin to cross the finish line, recording a time of 27:58.9 to place 51st overall. Black joined Odom and Gardner as the three Batten runners to finish the 8K course in under 28 minutes.

Freshman Peyton Auermuller followed with a 78th-place finish, completing the course in 29:15.0. Freshman James Sides rounded out the Marlins' scoring five, placing 84th overall with a time of 29:48.8.

Freshman Leo Staub added a 93rd-place finish with a time of 30:24.9, while freshman Alexander Thacker completed the Marlins' lineup, finishing 96th overall in 31:13.2.