Wake Forest Athletics
Friday, September 11
Earlysville, Va.
9:30 a.m.
Wake Forest University
vs
Virginia Invitational (Women)
Demon Deacons Place Third in Virginia Invitational
9/11/2026 11:48:00 AM | Cross Country
Led by Julia Score, seven Deacs made their Wake Forest debuts on Friday morning.
EARLYSVILLE, Va. – Wake Forest women's cross country completed its first appearance of the 2026 season on Friday morning, notching a third-place team finish at the Virginia Invitational.
The Demon Deacons earned 89 points, finishing behind nationally-ranked opponents No. 13 North Carolina and No. 15 Virginia.
In her collegiate debut, freshman Julia Score led the way for the Old Gold & Black, clocking a time of 17:29.7 to finish 15th overall in the field. Junior Grace Wassell was close by at 17th with a 17:36.3 result.
Three other Deacs landed in the top-25, as freshman Melia Kupchanko finished 19th in a 17:43.6 time in her first collegiate race. Right behind her, sophomore Charlotte Tuxbury went for a new personal-best in the 5k, recording 17:47.8. Freshman Emily Cohen rounded out the top-25 with a 17:59.2 finish.
Harriet Blaha, Emily Cohen, Robin Kucler, Melia Kupchanko, Emry Schwalm and Annika Swan all made their Demon Deacon debuts as well.
The women's team has now secured a top-three finish in four of its last five regular-season meets.
Top Five Spread
Team Results
From the Staff
"The goal for today was to compete hard over the back half of the race and win the little battles around us. I think, on average, we did that. Losing Emry [Schwalm] at the halfway point hurt our team score, but Julia [Score] did a great job stepping up and running a really smart race.
There are some race-day process things that we can clean up to put ourselves in a better position to succeed, but those are all very coachable things that I know we will execute better next time." – Head Women's Cross Country Coach Brandon Hazouri
Next Up
The Wake Forest men's cross country team will make its first season appearance next Friday (Sept. 18), heading to nearby Cary for the annual adidas XC Challenge.
Follow the Deacs
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | GoDeacs.com
The Demon Deacons earned 89 points, finishing behind nationally-ranked opponents No. 13 North Carolina and No. 15 Virginia.
In her collegiate debut, freshman Julia Score led the way for the Old Gold & Black, clocking a time of 17:29.7 to finish 15th overall in the field. Junior Grace Wassell was close by at 17th with a 17:36.3 result.
Three other Deacs landed in the top-25, as freshman Melia Kupchanko finished 19th in a 17:43.6 time in her first collegiate race. Right behind her, sophomore Charlotte Tuxbury went for a new personal-best in the 5k, recording 17:47.8. Freshman Emily Cohen rounded out the top-25 with a 17:59.2 finish.
Harriet Blaha, Emily Cohen, Robin Kucler, Melia Kupchanko, Emry Schwalm and Annika Swan all made their Demon Deacon debuts as well.
The women's team has now secured a top-three finish in four of its last five regular-season meets.
Top Five Spread
| Place (Points) | Name | Time |
| 15. (15) | Julia Score | 17:29.7 |
| 17. (16) | Grace Wassell | 17:36.3 |
| 19. (18) | Melia Kupchanko | 17:43.6 |
| 20. (19) | Charlotte Tuxbury | 17:47.8 |
| 25. (21) | Emily Cohen | 17:59.2 |
Team Results
| Place | Name | Points |
| 1. | No. 13 North Carolina | 27 |
| 2. | No. 15 Virginia | 28 |
| 3. | Wake Forest | 89 |
| 4. | William & Mary | 127 |
| 5. | Johns Hopkins | 132 |
From the Staff
"The goal for today was to compete hard over the back half of the race and win the little battles around us. I think, on average, we did that. Losing Emry [Schwalm] at the halfway point hurt our team score, but Julia [Score] did a great job stepping up and running a really smart race.
There are some race-day process things that we can clean up to put ourselves in a better position to succeed, but those are all very coachable things that I know we will execute better next time." – Head Women's Cross Country Coach Brandon Hazouri
Next Up
The Wake Forest men's cross country team will make its first season appearance next Friday (Sept. 18), heading to nearby Cary for the annual adidas XC Challenge.
Follow the Deacs
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | GoDeacs.com
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
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