HADDONFIELD, N.J. - The 2026 Atlantic East Conference Men's Cross Country Championship is set for Saturday, October 31st at 10 a.m. The race will be hosted at Hudson Valley Sports Dome in Milton, N.Y. hosted by Pratt Institute.
Prior to the race, the coaches from all six institutions voted on the 2026 Pre-Championship Coaches' Poll, resulting in Immaculata University being the standout favorite with 14 points and two first-place votes. With seven-year winners Marywood no longer in the picture, the crown is up for grabs.
The Mighty Macs of Immaculata are led by a strong trio of freshmen in Declan McGorry, Oliver Leader, and Jeremiah Webb. McGorry has the second fastest 8k time in the conference this season, posting a 30:16.9 at the Battle of the Border on October 17th, a meet in which Webb also posted his top time of 33:42.9. Leader's top time came earlier in October, on the 3rd, at the Highlander Invitational (32:34.3). Immaculata finished second last year, with a team score of 61.
In a tight table, Gwynedd Mercy landed second, receiving 13 points, with an equal two first place votes. The Griffins are led by sophomore Connor Brennan, who currently holds the top 8k time in the conference. Brennan, coming off the back of an eighth place individual finish at last year's championship, crossed the line in 28:37.6 at the DeSales Invite on September 19th. The sophomore has two freshmen trailing him in Michael Csink and Hunter Magee, who hold the seventh and eighth best times in the conference, respectively, with a 31:59.7 and a 32:02.1.
Marymount, who did not place last year, received one first place vote with a total of 12 points, good for third place in the poll. The Saints are highlighted by two freshman in Philologus Smith and Patrick Porter. Smith, who received Runner of the Week accolades this fall, holds the fourth best conference 8k time (30:33.9), with Porter's fifth-best conference time of 31:24.5, both of which came at the Border Battle on October 17th.
Coming in fourth place, with seven points, was Pratt. Sophomore Jackson Brock holds the Cannoneers' best time this season, posting a conference sixth-best time of 31:42.7 on an 8k course. The Eagles of Saint Elizabeth rounded out the group, with a total of four points.
The women's 6k race is set to begin at 10am with the men's 8k race following at 11am. The awards ceremony will take place at approximately 12:30 pm where the following will be recognized: Team Champion, Team Runner-Up, First-Team and Second Team All-Conference, Runner of the Year and Rookie of the Year, and Elite Scholar Athlete Award recipient.
For more information on the Championship visit our championship page here.
Men’s Cross Country Poll
- Immaculata - 14 (2)
- Gwynedd Mercy - 13 (2)
- Marymount - 12 (1)
- Pratt - 7
- Saint Elizabeth - 4
ABOUT ATLANTIC EAST
The Atlantic East Conference is a member of NCAA Division III comprising six institutions in a four-state area - Gwynedd Mercy and Immaculata Universities in Pennsylvania; Centenary and Saint Elizabeth Universities in New Jersey, Marymount University in Virginia, and Pratt Institute in New York.
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