Alfred University Athletics

Makarenko had a standout opening weekend for the 2026 season. During the SUNY Brockport Tom Balon Alumni Classic at the Sweden Town Cross Country Course on Saturday morning, she finished 19th over and scored 18 team points with a time of 21:01.1. On runner from Roberts Wesleyan and one runner from the Brockport Alumni team finished ahead of her, making her the 17th overall collegiate runner who could score team points. Her time is over a minute better than last year’s 5k time of 22:08.7 at the Harry F. Anderson Invitational hosted by Roberts Wesleyan University. Makarenko is the first Saxon women’s cross country runner to earn Saxon of the Week since McKenzie Hall ’25 on September 18, 2023. Besides the three-team 6k at Penn State Behrend in 2023, Makarenko is also the first Saxon to finish in the Top-20 since Hall finished 10th during the 2022 Empire 8 Cross Country Championships hosted by Houghton University.