University of North Texas Athletics
University of North Texas
John McKenzie Invitational
Bartek, Mean Green Men Win John McKenzie Invitational
9/4/2026 11:52:00 AM | Track & Field/XC
Men's team wins season opener, while women's team finishes third
FORT WORTH, Texas— Connor Bartek claimed the individual title as the North Texas men's cross country team won the John McKenzie Invitational Friday morning to open the 2026 season.
Bartek led a strong showing from the Mean Green men, who placed five runners inside the top nine and finished with 24 points to take the team title. On the women's side, Ximena Lopez placed fourth with a personal-best time of 17:53.5 to help UNT finish third as a team.
Bartek crossed the line first in the men's 5K with a time of 15:34.0, followed closely by Nolan House in second at 15:39.3. Hunter Hendry finished fourth with a time of 15:43.2, while AJ Hawkins placed eighth at 15:59.6 and Matt Montgomery finished ninth with a time of 16:01.6.
The five top-nine finishes helped North Texas finish atop the team standings with 24 points, 13 points ahead of second-place TCU.
Lopez led the Mean Green women with her fourth-place finish, shaving 2.2 seconds off her previous 5K personal best of 17:55.7. Freshman Ava Thompson made her collegiate debut for UNT, finishing 22nd with a time of 19:35.1.
The North Texas women's team finished third with 84 points, behind SMU and TCU.
Next up for UNT is the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival on Saturday, Oct. 3, in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
