Reigning Gulf South Conference champion, Lee topped the 2026 preseason men’s cross country preseason poll as the unanimous favorite, as determined by the 10 GSC men’s cross country head coaches. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team.
For the fourth consecutive season and sixth time since 2019, the Flames claimed the preseason top-spot, after collecting all nine possible first-place votes and totaling a maximum of 81 points. UAH followed in second with 72 points, while Mississippi Christian was third with 63 points.
In addition, the Conference also announced its 2026 GSC Runners to Watch. Students-athletes included range in experience from freshman and first-year transfers to returning All-GSC performers. All names were submitted by each athlete’s head coach.
In 2025, two teams–UAH and Lee–qualified for the NCAA Men’s Cross Country National Championship. The Chargers, who were an at-large selection, finished 21st while the Flames claimed 10th. Lee also won its fourth-straight GSC Championship before claiming its fifth consecutive NCAA South Region title.
The 2026 season will open on September 4-5. This year’s GSC Men’s Cross Country Championship is set for Friday, Nov. 6 and will be hosted by Trevecca Nazarene at The Hermitage in Nashville. Click
here for the full schedule.
2026 GSC Men’s Cross Country Coaches Preseason Poll
1. Lee (9), 81 points
2. UAH (1), 72 points
3. Mississippi Christian, 63 points
4. AUM, 59 points
5. Union, 44 points
6. Montevallo, 34 points
7. Christian Brothers, 33 points
8. West Alabama, 32 points
9. Trevecca Nazarene, 20 points
10. Valdosta State, 12 points
First-place votes in parentheses
2026 GSC Men’s Cross Country Runners to Watch
Dakota Frank, Jr., UAH
Conner Patterson, R-Sr., UAH
Mikey Banks, Jr., AUM
JT Mathison, So., AUM
Caleb Yoder, So., AUM
Ryan Cabreira, Fr., Christian Brothers
Migual Cantarero, Fr., Christian Brothers
Pierre Chauveau, Jr., Lee
Stephen Clark, Sr., Lee
Tucker Wright, Jr., Lee
Baxter Friedman, Sr., Mississippi Christian
Matthew Singletary, Sr., Mississippi Christian
Aaron Fynnardt, Sr., Union
Jonathan Lewis, Fr., Union
Luke Winkleman, Sr., Union
Lorenzo Pelusi, So., West Alabama
Jonathan Phillips, 5th, West Alabama