Men's Cross Country | 10/31/2026 8:20:00 PM

CANFIELD, Ohio (pacathletics.org) - After winning its first championship a season ago, Geneva College repeated as Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) men's cross country champions, placing five runners in the top 12 to capture its second consecutive title.

The 2026 PAC Championships were hosted at Youngstown State University's Brian, Charlotte, Jersey, Beau Gorby Family Championship Cross Country Course at MetroParks Farm in Canfield, Ohio, the first time the PAC Cross Country Championships were held at YSU. 

The Golden Tornadoes scored 32 points to finish first in the field, with second place going to Grove City College, who totaled 59 points. Earning third place was Franciscan University with 77 points and Washington & Jefferson College earned fourth place (94). Complete team scores can be found at the results link above.

The top seven finishers in both the men's and women's races received All-PAC First Team recognition, while runners finishing eighth through 14th earned All-PAC Second Team honors. Runners finishing 15th through 21st received All-PAC Honorable Mention recognition.

Geneva's depth fueled the GTs title run again, with three runners placing in the top five for First Team All-PAC honors. Geneva also scored runners in 10th and 12th place en route to the team title.

Another repeat in this year's race was recorded by W&J senior Dominic Flitcraft. He is now a four-time First Team All-PAC runner and two-time PAC champion after he came across in 25:47.0  He is the first repeat PAC winner since Franciscan's Liam Galligan won the 2021 spring and 2021 fall crowns. Flitcraft is also the third President to win multiple individual championships, joining Matthew Rudzki (2005, 2007) and Harley Moyer (2017, 2018). 

While Flitcraft was recognized as the PAC champion, the conference's Runner of the Year will be determined by a vote from the PAC coaches following the NCAA Championships.

Geneva's bevy of finishers began with junior Matt Otto being credited with second place (26:09.7), junior Ethan Haring taking third (26:18.6) and freshman Tyler Caron finishing sixth (26:29.9). In addition to earning First Team All-PAC, Caron was the highest finishing freshman runner to earn PAC Newcomer of the Year. Caron is the second Geneva runner to earn Newcomer of the Year and first since his teammate Haring in 2023.

Completing the list of this year's First Team All-PAC runners was Grove City sophomore Colsen Frank taking fourth and W&J sophomores Wyatt Stroup and Jacob Derry placing sixth and seventh among championship-eligible runners.

Competing at the conference meet for the first time was Saint Francis University. The Red Wolves were not counted in the 2026 team scoring, as they are not eligible for the PAC team championship while reclassifying from Division I to Division III. Three of their runners did earn PAC Coaches Honors, which were given in lieu of all-conference recognition if they finished in the top 21. The top SFU runner was Collin Dreese, who crossed second overall in 26:06.3.

Complete individual results can also be found at the link above.

Following the Golden Tornadoes' outstanding performance, Geneva's Jason Wargo was selected as the PAC Coach of the Year for the first time. His assistant coach Jarron Mihoci joined Wargo in recognition, as Mihoci has stepped into a larger role guiding the team while Wargo prepares to transition from his current role on the GT football staff.

The PAC also released its 2026 PAC Sportsmanship Team Saturday. The PAC Sportsmanship Teams were established to recognize student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior and are an ongoing effort to recognize and encourage positive sportsmanship among all PAC teams.

Teams now 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. 
 

First Team All-PAC
Name	School	Place	Year	Hometown/High School
Dominic Flitcraft	W&J	1st	Jr.	Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell
Matt Otto	Geneva	2nd	Jr.	Mars, Pa./Eden Christian Academy
Ethan Harring	Geneva	3rd	Jr.	Wexford, Pa./Eden Christian Academy
Colsen Frank	Grove City	4th	So.	Grove City, Pa./Grove City
Tyler Caron	Geneva	5th	Fr.	Salix, Pa./Forrest Hills
Wyatt Stroup	W&J	6th	So.	Port Royal, Pa./Juniata
Jacob Derry	W&J	7th	So.	Canonsburg, Pa./Corry Area