BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The 2026 Patriot League Cross Country Championships will be run at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa. on Saturday, Oct. 31. All 20 Patriot League men’s and women’s programs will participate in the championships, with the top five runners from each school counting towards the team score.
The Bison will host the championship for the sixth time and the first since 2022, when Navy secured both the men’s and women’s titles.
The women’s 6K championship race begins at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, followed by the men’s 8K race at noon.
All 10 Patriot League programs will compete in the championships, with team scoring determined by each squad’s top-five finishers. Live results for the 2026 Patriot League Cross Country Championship are available HERE.
VISIT THE 2026 PATRIOT LEAGUE CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
Patriot League Cross Country Major Awards and All-League Honors
The Patriot League cross country major awards will be distributed following the race and will be determined by the individual finish of the competing student-athletes at the championship. The individual champion of both races will be named the Patriot League Runner of the Year for the men and women. The top-finishing freshman in both races earns Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors. The top-seven finishers in the men’s and women’s races make the All-Patriot League First Team, with the eighth through 14th-place runners making up the second team. The Patriot League’s Men’s and Women’s Coaching Staffs of the Year will be voted on by the League’s head coaches at the conclusion of both races. Academic All-Patriot League and Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards will be voted upon by the League’s head coaches and announced the week following the race.
Returning All-Patriot League Performers
Eight of the 14 2025 All-Patriot League runners return on the men’s side in 2026, including a trio of First-Team honorees. Holy Cross’ senior Joseph Mahon (3rd) is the highest returning finisher from a season ago, while Navy juniors Dane Eike (4th) and James Partlow (6th) will challenge for the individual title. The five-time defending champion Midshipmen also return Second-Teamers Maximilian Girardet and Logan Flament as well as last year’s Rookie of the Meet, Luke Bowlsby, as they look to secure their sixth straight title.
A stacked women’s group returns in 2026 as 11 of the 14 All-Patriot League runners, including seven First-Teamers, are back from a season ago. Despite the departure of Charlotte Richman, who captured the individual title in 2025, Army West Point returns a trio of All-Patriot League First Team performers in Mikayla Cheney, Louisa Diamond and Alma Lazo Cazares as the Black Knights look to capture their fourth straight championship. It would mark the second time in program history that Army West Point would accomplish this feat (1994-97).
Eight additional 2025 All-Patriot League runners return, highlighted by Bucknell junior Shaelan McNally, who finished as the runner-up, and American sophomore Shealyn Brochu, the 2025 Rookie of the Meet.
Patriot League Cross Country Championship History
*The Navy men’s team earned their 13th title a season ago, the most in Patriot League history. The Midshipmen have won the last five League men’s championships. Army West Point trails with 11 championship victories.
*The last non-academy champion on the men’s side was Lehigh in 2012.
*The Bucknell women’s program has a League-high 12 team titles, but the Bison are seeking their first since 2018. Army West Point earned an eighth title last season and looks to capture four straight Patriot League titles for the second time in program history (1994-97).
*Navy (6), Boston University (4) and American (2) have each won multiple women’s League Championships. Colgate, Lafayette and Lehigh each have one women’s team title.
USTFCCCA Polls
- The Navy men’s cross country team was ranked No. 6 in the US Track and Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCCA) Mid-Atlantic Region when the polls were released on Oct. 19. American followed at No. 12 and Bucknell checked in at No. 14. In the Northeast Region, Boston University ranked No. 8 and Army West Point was tabbed No. 9.
- Navy’s women’s team leads the way in the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Poll at No. 10, followed by Bucknell ranked at No. 11. Boston University is No. 6 in the Northeast Region, while Army West Point came in at No. 11.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.