Men's Cross Country | 10/29/2026 2:00:00 PM
TRAFFORD, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - Defending champion Geneva College was voted as the favorite when the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Men's Cross Country Pre-Championship poll was released Thursday afternoon, along with the Runners to Watch list.
The 2026 PAC Championships are scheduled for Saturday, October 31st and will be hosted by Youngstown State University's Brian, Charlotte, Jersey, Beau Gorby Family Championship Cross Country Course at MetroParks Farm in Canfield, Ohio. It's the first time the PAC Cross Country Championships have been held at YSU. The women's 6,000-meter race will begin at 11 a.m., with the men's 8,000-meter race starting at 12 p.m. and an awards ceremony will follow the men's race.
For fans attending the Championships, there will be a $10 entry fee per car. Spectator parking is at Gate 9.
Also for the first time, the PAC Cross Country Championships will be streamed live, as the conference partners with Keystone Gameday to provide a multi-camera stream of the event. Fans can access the link to the live stream above.
Last year's champion Geneva collected eight first-place votes and scored 113 points to finish first in this year’s pre-championship poll. Last year's PAC runner-up Grove City College finished second in the balloting this year with 106 points and three first-place votes, while Washington & Jefferson College picked up the final top vote and tallied 97 points to place third. The complete poll results can be found below.
In winning the program's first men's cross country title, Geneva placed six runners in the top 15 at the 2025 championship race to score 38 points and easily outdistance the field, with the second-place team finishing with 71 points.
This year's Runners to Watch List includes nine All-PAC runners from last fall, five who were First Team All-PAC. Headlining the returners are a pair of award winners from W&J. Senior Dominic Flitcraft was the PAC champion with a winning time of 26:16.90 after he surged into the lead by the two-mile mark and continued pulling away to win by more than 25 seconds. He was the first President to win the individual championship since Harley Moyer won back-to-back crowns in 2018 and 2017 and was later voted PAC Runner of the Year by the conference coaches following national championships.
W&J sophomore Wyatt Stroup finished third a season ago for First Team All-PAC accolades and as the top finishing freshman in the meet, he gave W&J two award winners by earning PAC Newcomer of the Year. Stroup joined Flitcraft (2023) and Paul Collier (2019) as Presidents to earn the top newcomer honor.
Geneva's hopes for a repeat will depend on another deep roster, including two on the Watch List. Junior Ethan Haring is the top returning Golden Tornado, as he was sixth last year, while junior Matt Otto finished three spots back in ninth place.
Another first at this year's Championships is Saint Francis University competing at the conference meet. The Red Wolves were not counted in the 2026 poll, but are represented by three runners on the Watch List. Saint Francis is not eligible for the PAC team championship while reclassifying from Division I to Division III, but their runners can earn PAC Coaches Honors in lieu of all-conference recognition if they finish in the top 21.
Following PAC Championships, teams will move on to the Division III regional championships, which are scheduled for Saturday, November 14th. Bethany, Geneva, Grove City, Saint Vincent, Thiel, W&J, Waynesburg and Westminster will compete in the Mid-Atlantic region, while Allegheny and Franciscan will compete in the Great Lakes region. The Division III Mid-Atlantic Championships will be hosted by Lock Haven University in Lock Haven, Pa., while the Division III Great Lakes Championships will be hosted by the University of Olivet and Lansing Sports Commission in East Lansing, Mich.
The 2026 Division III Championships are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 21st and will be hosted by Carleton College in Northfield, Minn.
| 2026 PAC Men's Cross Country Pre-Championships Coaches' Poll (Predicted order of finish) |
| School (first-place votes) |
Points |
2025 Conference finishes |
| 1. Geneva College (8) |
113 |
1st (of 9) at PAC Championships, 38 pts. |
| 2. Grove City College (3) |
106 |
2nd (of 9) at PAC Championships, 71 pts. |
| 3. Washington & Jefferson College (1) |
97 |
5th (of 9) at PAC Championships, 109 pts. |
| 4. Saint Vincent College |
86 |
4th (of 9) at PAC Championships, 95 pts. |
| 5. Franciscan University |
85 |
3rd (of 9) at PAC Championships, 89 pts. |
| 6. Allegheny College |
79 |
6th (of 9) at PAC Championships, 131 pts. |
| 7. Waynesburg University |
59 |
9th (of 9) at PAC Championships, 244 pts. |
| 8. Westminster College |
52 |
7th (of 9) at PAC Championships, 216 pts. |
| 9. Hiram College |
46 |
8th (of 9) at PAC Championships, 236 pts. |
| 10. Thiel College |
37 |
Individuals only at PAC Championships |
| 11. Bethany College |
21 |
Individuals only at PAC Championships |
| Saint Francis University* |
--- |
Ineligible for PAC Championship as school reclassifies from Division I |
2026 PAC Men's Cross Country Runners to Watch
1=2025 1st Team All-PAC / 2=2nd Team All-PAC / HM = Honorable Mention
| Allegheny College |
| Name |
Yr. |
Hometown/High School |
| Tyler Biss (HM) |
So |
Beaver, Pa./Beaver |
| Lukas Czegan |
Fr. |
Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic |
| Samuel Gwitt |
Fr. |
Buffalo, NY/Nichols |
| Bethany College |
| Name |
Yr. |
Hometown/High School |
| William Greenwood |
Fr. |
Charles Town, W.Va./Washington |
| Franciscan University |
| Name |
Yr. |
Hometown/High School |
| Maxwell Bruns (1) |
So. |
Gilbert, Ariz./Arete Preparatory |
| Seamus Sommers (2) |
Sr. |
Muskego, Wis./Trinity Academy |
| Cooper Valancius |
Fr. |
Perry Hall, Md./Homeschool |
| Geneva College |
| Name |
Yr. |
Hometown/High School |
| Tyler Caron |
Fr. |
Salix, Pa./Forest Hills |
| Ethan Haring (1) |
Jr. |
Wexford, Pa./Eden Christian |
| Matt Otto (2) |
Jr. |
Mars, Pa./Eden Christian |
| Grove City College |
| Name |
Yr. |
Hometown/High School |
| Sam Elston |
So. |
Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland |
| Colsen Frank (1) |
So. |
Grove City, Pa./Grove City |
| Carson Wilt |
Fr. |
Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown |
| Hiram College |
| Name |
Yr. |
Hometown/High School |
| Michael Crosby |
Jr. |
Farmdale, Ohio/Badger |
| Aidan Jefferson |
Jr. |
Vienna, Ohio/Mathews |
| Ayub Salad |
Fr. |
Columbus, Ohio/Beechcroft |
| Saint Francis University |
| Name |
Yr. |
Hometown/High School |
| Micah Brydon |
Sr. |
Maytown, Pa./Donegal |
| Collin Dreese |
Jr. |
New Berlin, Pa./Mifflinburg |
| Michelangelo Piccirillo |
Jr. |
Brockport, Pa./DuBois Central Catholic |
| Saint Vincent College |
| Name |
Yr. |
Hometown/High School |
| Noah Channel |
So. |
Tarentum, Pa./Deer Lakes |
| Brayden Cosky |
Fr. |
Beaver, Pa./Beaver Area |
| Will Stickman (HM) |
Jr. |
McKees Rocks, Pa./Our Lady of the Sacred Heart |
| Thiel College |
| Name |
Yr. |
Hometown/High School |
| Cooper Riley |
Jr. |
Jamestown, Pa./Jamestown |
| Washington & Jefferson College |
| Name |
Yr. |
Hometown/High School |
| Jacob Derry |
So. |
Canonsburg, Pa./Corry Area |
| Dominic Flitcraft (1) |
Sr. |
Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell |
| Wyatt Stroup (1) |
So. |
Port Royal, Pa./Juniata |
| Waynesburg University |
| Name |
Yr. |
Hometown/High School |
| Kyin Jeter |
Fr. |
Braddock, Pa./Carrick |
| Kyle Casella |
Sr. |
Clarksboro, N.J./Kingsway |
| Ethan Wilson |
Jr. |
Pittsburgh, Pa./Redeemer Lutheran |
| Westminster College |
| Name |
Yr. |
Hometown/High School |
| Nicholas Bender |
So. |
New Castle, Pa./Neshannock |
| Phillip Silvis |
So. |
Harmony, Pa./Seneca Valley |