By Matthew Hasley
The Lady Aggies cross-country team located their stride coming into this 2026 season, opening with a pair of second place finishes and an individual championship from freshman Boglarka Kalman.
The women’s cross-country team placed second at the Aggie Duels on Sept. 4 and matched that result at the Mustang Derby just two weeks later on Sept. 17.
Kalman led the Lady Aggies in both meets, while senior Akaya Lightbourne and freshman Alyssa Buchan began the start of a potential trio of consistent top finishes.
This strong start marks an improvement for the team when looking at the 2025 season, where Cameron finished in fourth at the Aggie Duels and third at the Mustang Derby.
Cameron’s women’s cross-country team opened this season at home in Lawton, Oklahoma at the Aggie Duels, capturing a second-place finish totaling 54 points.
East Central University managed to snag first place, scoring 30 points, while the Aggies managed to stay ahead of Midwestern State University (MSU), Northwestern Oklahoma State University and Amarillo College.
Kalman led the team with a third-place finish in the women’s 5-kilometer run, finishing the race in 18 minutes, 25.3 seconds.
Lightbourne crossed the finish line in fifth with a time of 18:57.1, while Buchan placed seventh in 19:06.2. With those times, the three Aggies gave Cameron three top seven finishes in their season opener.
Daira Rojas-Vasquez came in 16th-place, finishing in 19:50.2 and Charlotte Glander rounded out Cameron’s scoring with a 20:10.0 time.
The women’s cross-country team continued their early season success as they headed into the Mustang Derby in Wichita Fall, Texas on Sept. 17.
Kalman took home the first-place win in the women’s 4K race with a time of 14:16.5, leaving the competition in the dust by a whopping 15.6 seconds.
Lightbourne continued with a top three finish of her own, finishing third in 14:40.6. Buchan followed next with a time of 15:09.7, putting her in sixth. Freshman Ollie Gaston crossed in 15:23.8, giving her 11th place.
With five teams in the pack, the Lady Aggies finished in second with a total of 36 points.
MSU took home the championship on their home field with Dallas Baptist University placing third with 74 points.
The Lady Aggies performance at the Mustang Derby gave them two consecutive runner-up finishes and Kalman her first individual victory of her freshman season.
Looking into the stats, Lightbourne’s time also improved from her previous outing at the 2025 Mustang Derby. She managed to place third in 2025 and 2026, but her 2026 time of 14:40.6 passes her 2025 time of 14:43.3, improving by 2.7 seconds.
Both freshmen, Kalman and Buchan, finished among the top seven in both team’s opening meets. They each played significant roles in Cameron’s early success.
Lightbourne has provided leadership and consistency alongside the two newcomers.
Together, the trio has accounted for six of Cameron’s top seven finishes in the first two competitions of the season.
Their start to the season gives the Lady Aggies a strong foundation to continue their fall schedule. Last season, the team finished sixth at the Lone Star Conference Championship before going to the National Collegiate Athletic Association South Central Regional and playing 17th out of a 26-team tournament.
The women’s cross-country team is sure to build upon their opening results heading into their remaining schedule.