LOCK HAVEN, Pa. —- The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference’s Shippensburg University was selected as the favorite in the 2026 Men’s Cross Country Preseason Poll,
as voted on by the conference’s coaches. This is the fourth consecutive season that the Raiders have earned the No. 1 spot.
Shippensburg finished first overall at the 2025 PSAC Cross Country Championship, with four runners in the top 10 and all five scorers in the top 20. Three of those finishers return, including Tommy Crum Jr. (fourth place in the 2024 and 2025 PSAC meets), Ben Devine (eighth at PSAC meet), and Ramon Urena (20
th at PSAC meet.) Head coach Steve Spence notes that other returners developed nicely during the spring season and that a solid recruiting class should add depth to the roster.
East Stroudsburg was selected second in the poll, receiving two first-place votes, and returns plenty of talent from 2025. Four runners are back that finished in the top 30 for All-Conference honors in last year’s PSAC meet, including Aiden Voth (15
th), Andrew Tatesure (18
th), Ethan Holcomb (22
nd), and Bryce Keenoy (27
th.)
West Chester was voted No. 3 in this year’s poll. Top All-Conference returners for the Golden Rams include Josh Miller (5
th in the PSAC meet last fall) and Nick Forman (26
th.)
Kutztown was voted the No. 4 team and returns top 20 PSAC meet finishers Peyton Small (16
th) and Robby Lloyd (19
th) from the team that finished third overall at last year’s conference championship.
The top four are followed by No. 5 Slippery Rock and No. 6 Edinboro—with No. 7 Lock Haven, No. 8 Gannon, No. 9 IUP, and No. 10 Bloomsburg rounding out the top 10 teams.
The full results are listed below.
2026 PSAC Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll (# of first-place votes in parentheses)
1. Shippensburg (13)
2. East Stroudsburg (2)
3. West Chester
4. Kutztown
5. Slippery Rock
6. Edinboro
7. Lock Haven
8. Gannon
9. IUP
10. Bloomsburg
11. California
12. Seton Hill
13. Mansfield
14. Pitt-Johnstown
15. Shepherd