Pepperdine University’s track team has announced its full schedule for the 2026 season, with competition set to begin on January 30 in Boston, Massachusetts. Head coach Lauren Floris expressed optimism about the upcoming season. “The team made some great strides this fall that are going to serve them well as we hop on the track this month,” said Floris. “I won’t be surprised if we see more records fall this year than last!”
The Waves will open their season at Boston University’s John Thomas Terrier Classic, an event named after alumnus John Thomas, who was the first high-jumper to clear seven feet indoors and competed in the 1960 and 1964 Olympic Games.
Simultaneously, other members of the Pepperdine squad will compete at the New Mexico Team Open in Albuquerque on January 30 and 31.
On February 13-14, Pepperdine will travel to Reno, Nevada for the Battle Born Classic. Male sprinters from the team are scheduled to participate in the Rossi Relays in Claremont, California on February 28.
The MPSF Championships will take place March 1 in Reno, marking Pepperdine’s final out-of-state meet before returning to California for the remainder of their regular season events.
Subsequent competitions include the Gaucho Relays in Santa Barbara on March 7 and two Fullerton-based invitationals—the Ben Brown Invitational and Astro AI Invitational—on March 12 and 13.
The team will compete at UCLA’s Bob Larsen/Jim Bush Invitational in Los Angeles on March 27-28 before heading north for Stanford’s invitational meet April 3-4.
A series of meets in East Los Angeles follows: Pomona-Pitzer Invitational (April 11), Bryan Clay Invitational at Azusa Pacific (April 16-18), and Leo Invitational in La Verne (April 17-18).
On May 1-2, UC Irvine will host an invitational named after Olympic medalist Steve Scott. The Franson Last Chance meet is scheduled for May 8-9 in Azusa.
Postseason competition includes NCAA West Preliminaries from May 27-30 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Qualifying athletes will advance to the NCAA Championships held June 10-12 in Eugene, Oregon.
Pepperdine’s cross country/track program dates back to the university’s early years. It is one of three original programs established by George Pepperdine College in 1937. Over its history, Pepperdine has produced six individual national champions and eight Olympians.
Coach Floris encouraged fans to follow updates via social media @PepperdineXCTR.
“The team made some great strides this fall that are going to serve them well as we hop on the track this month,” said head coach Lauren Floris. “I won’t be surprised if we see more records fall this year than last!”
