TAMPA, Fla. — Defending champion Ave Maria will open the 2026 season as the favorite in Sun Conference men’s cross country, earning 49 points and seven first-place votes in the annual poll of the league’s eight head coaches.
The Gyrenes captured their first Sun Conference championship in program history last November, placing five runners among the top 10 and scoring 32 points. Ave Maria finished 32 points ahead of runner-up Southeastern, while head coach Alan Webb was named the conference’s Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year.
Ave Maria went on to make its first team appearance at the NAIA Cross Country Championships, placing 30th among 37 teams. David Giles led the Gyrenes by finishing 106th overall with an 8K time of 25:59.6.
SCAD Savannah was selected second in the preseason poll with 41 points. The Bees placed third at last year’s conference championship, finishing just two points behind Southeastern, and produced the individual champion in Max Heins.
Southeastern received the remaining first-place vote and earned 39 points to place third. The Fire return to the poll after placing second at the 2025 conference championship with 64 points.
St. Thomas was selected fourth in the preseason poll with 31 points, followed by Keiser in fifth with 25. Warner earned 19 points to place sixth.
New College of Florida was voted seventh with 12 points, while Webber International rounds out the eight-team poll with eight points.
| 2026 Sun Conference Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll |
| Rank |
Team |
Points
(first-place votes) |
| 1 |
Ave Maria |
49 (7) |
| 2 |
SCAD |
41 |
| 3 |
Southeastern |
39 (1) |
| 4 |
St. Thomas |
31 |
| 5 |
Keiser |
25 |
| 6 |
Warner |
19 |
| 7 |
New College of Florida |
12 |
| 8 |
Webber International |
8 |
Key Links
ABOUT THE SUN CONFERENCE
Now in its 36th year, The Sun Conference — a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1990 — is a leading member of the NAIA. The league’s 10 full-member institutions across Florida and Georgia compete in 24 championship sports. Under Commissioner Dustin Wilke, The Sun continues to raise the standard in collegiate athletics. Learn more at thesunconference.com.
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