Team USA Women's Entries For The World XC Championships
Team USA Women's Entries For The World XC Championships
The World Athletics Cross Country Championships are just over a week away, and the American women donning the red, white, and blue are a talented bunch.
The 46th World Athletic Cross Country Championships are just a couple of sleeps away, and for the first time since 1992, they're on American soil.
On January 10, the best distance runners in the world will converge on Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida, where they'll run on a mixture of grass, sand, and mud, all while taking in the beautiful Florida landscape on the same course that has hosted several high-stakes races, including the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
In total, there are 28 men and women representing the United States across the senior, U20, and mixed relay races.
With the teams set and the championship approaching, let's meet the 14 women of Team USA.
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Olympians, NCAA Champions Make Up Senior Squad
Weini Kelati, Dark Sky Distance
The 2024 U.S. Cross Country Champion defended her title with ease, and was the lone woman to run sub-34 last month at Glendover Golf Course. Kelati, the top American finisher at last year's championships in Belgrade, Serbia, will look to retain that honor and work her way into the top-10.
Kelati is all too familiar with the 10k distance, winning the national title in 2024 before finishing eighth in the world at the Paris Olympics later that summer. She was the first woman left off of Team USA in both the 5k and 10k last summer, and what better place to avenge that than on the global stage?
Katie Izzo, adidas
Izzo is no stranger to the World Cross Country Championships, representing Team USA in the 10k in 2023 and the mixed relay a year ago.
The former Arkansas Razorback was a three-time All-American in Fayetteville, with her top finish coming at the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships, where she placed third, 12 seconds back of Kelati.
Ednah Kurgat, U.S. Army
Kurgat didn't race much in 2025, but that clearly didn't mean much as she finished third last month to book her spot in Tallahassee, Florida, for Worlds.
Kurgat didn't race at all in 2024, but was the U.S. Cross Country champion in 2023, ultimately finishing 18th at Worlds that winter, the top American in the field by 12 seconds.
Karissa Schweizer, swoosh TC (Oregon)
Arguably the most notable name on Team USA, simply due to her lengthy list of accomplishments on the track. The 2022 U.S. champion in both the 10k and 5k, Schweizer is a two-time Olympian who has handled herself quite nicely when she's up against the best in the world.
The last time that Schweizer ran a cross country race before December was at the 43rd IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 2019, but the 2017 NCAA champion has often run well on the grass, and with the home crowd cheering you on extra loud, she's due.
Emily Venters, swoosh TC (Utah)
After ending her collegiate career with a historic outdoor campaign as a Utah Ute, Venters spent time with the Union Athletics Club before eventually finding her way to the Swoosh TC team based in Utah.
The five-time All-American made her marathon debut last fall in Chicago, but unfortunately, things didn't go to plan. Regardless, Venters made her way across the finish line, displaying grit and discipline that isn't as common as some might think in professional distance runners.
In Portland, Venters got back on the wagon and qualified for her first World team, running 34:20. The Kansas native could be in line for a spectacular run in Florida, and with her talent, it's more than possible.
Grace Hartman, North Carolina State
The final of the six women representing Team USA in the senior race is coming off a successful and busy 2025 circuit, one that saw her finish runner-up in the NCAA 10,000m final, and add three other All-American finishes from the indoor and outdoor championships.
This past fall, Hartman was one of the most important runners on the national champion NC State squad, finishing sixth at the NCAA Championships with her first-ever sub-19 performance.
Daniela Scheffler, Five Other Rising Stars Representing U20 Contingent
The six athletes making up the U20 roster consist of five collegians, one high schooler, with NC State freshman Daniela Scheffler leading the charge.
The Blue Devil finished runner-up over 6k in 21:20, followed by Princeton's Caroline Barton, Cincinnati's Abby Sewell, and the Minnesota duo of Norah Hushagen and Avery Marasco-Johnson.
Those five will be joined by Blair Bartlett, a junior from The Lawrenceville School (N.J.), the high school phenom who finished runner-up at both Nike Cross Nationals and the Brooks XC Championships.
Bartlett's runner-up finish at NXN made her the sixth and final member of Team USA's U20 team, with NXN champ Natasza Dudek representing Poland.
Gracie Morris, Sage Hurta-Klecker Make Up Half Of the Mixed Relay
Gracie Morris capped off her breakout 2025 campaign with a national title, winning the Women's 2k in 6:19.4. Morris won the 5th Avenue Mile in September and the Sir Walter Miler in August, both after making it to the U.S. Championship final in the 1500m weeks prior.
Hurta-Klecker, on the other hand, is finally able to reap the rewards of her longtime efforts, making her first World team in August in the 800m, where she went on to finish fifth in the World Championship final.
She also became the third-fastest American of all time in that race, running 1:55.89.
This will be the first time either athlete will represent Team USA in cross country, and the first opportunity for Morris in her young professional career.
2026 World XC Championships Schedule (ET) Jan. 10
- 09:45 — Mixed Relay (Final) — Mixed
- 10:20 — U20 Race (Final) — Women
- 10:55 — U20 Race (Final) — Men
- 11:35 — Senior Race (Final) — Women
- 12:20 — Senior Race (Final) — Men
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