KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The 2026 NAIA Men’s Cross Country season will hit full stride this coming weekend as many of the top teams will run their first meets of the fall season. The 2026 season will see many of the top performers from last year’s NAIA National Championship Meet return to contend for not only individual honors but the Red Banner.
The top two teams in the 2026 Preseason Ratings will open the season on Friday, September 4, at the Indiana Wesleyan Twilight meet, as the host Wildcats and Cumberlands will highlight a star-studded field.
Cumberlands grabbed the preseason top spot in the ratings after finishing third in the national meet this past November. They return sophomore Julius Makien, who finished 10th in the national meet and was the third-best freshman with a time of 24:39.4. He will be joined by Luca Madeo, who is a two-time All-American back in 2023 and 2024.
Indiana Wesleyan is the second-best team in the rankings after claiming the Red Banner last season. The Wildcats will be led by senior Grant Flora, who placed 25th at nationals, and junior Trenton Sweet, who placed 33rd at nationals.
Southern Oregon will open its season on Saturday, September 5, at the Simpson Invitational after claiming the third spot in the ratings. The Raiders welcome back senior Mason Weisgerber and Carter Stedman to lead a group that placed sixth at nationals last season. Weisgerber was the runner-up in the individual race with a time of 24:17.2, while Stedman placed fourth with a mark of 24:33.5.
Milligan (Tenn.) will open their season at the Covered Bridge Open on Friday, September 4, and will be led by senior Bryson Lewis, who placed 48th in the national meet last year, as the Buffaloes will look to improve on their eighth-place finish last year.
Coming September 9
Next rating coming September 23
About the NAIA
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small college athletics programs dedicated to character-driven, education-based athletics. Since 1937, the NAIA has balanced high-level competition with holistic student-athlete development through its commitment to The Right Way to Play®. Each year more than 87,000 NAIA student-athletes compete in college athletics, earn over $1.3 billion in financial aid, and pursue opportunities to participate in 30 national championships. naia.org | @NAIA | #TheRightWayToPlay
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