NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) will crown its men's cross country champion on Saturday at the St. Olaf Cross Country Course in Northfield.
The 11-team men's eight-kilometer conference championship race is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
The 2026 MIAC Cross Country Championships will officially get underway with the 12-team women's six-kilometer race at 11 a.m.
Championship 101
St. Olaf won its 13th MIAC title in program history — and the Oles' fourth in a row — last fall. Eight different schools have won MIAC men's cross country championships since 1947. St. Thomas holds the MIAC men's cross country record for the most team championships at 24. St. Olaf won five consecutive MIAC men's titles from 2012-16, and four in a row from 2022-25. Carleton also claimed four straight from 2017-21. Hamline is the last non-Northfield program to have won the MIAC championship, as the Pipers took three consecutive conference crowns from 2009-11.
St. Thomas holds the record for the most individual champions at 17, though Macalester and St. Olaf are not far behind with 14 apiece, and Saint John's has tallied 13 race winners.
Handing Out the Hardware
Once the results of the 2026 MIAC Cross Country Championship are tabulated and deemed final, a short awards ceremony for both women's and men's races will follow around 1:00 p.m. The top 15 runners in each race will be honored with All-Conference distinction, while runners finishing in places 16-to-25 will be named Honorable Mention. The championship team will also be honored with the presentation of the MIAC Championship trophy.
Individual awards for Athlete, Rookie, and Coach of the Year will be formally announced on Thursday, November 5.
Championship Apparel
Official championship apparel is available for online purchase via the MIAC Shop powered by UNRestricted MKTG. The online MIAC Shop features officially licensed short-sleeve t-shirts, long-sleeve t-shirts, and hooded sweatshirts to commemorate the 2026 conference championship meet. The items available in this store are custom-decorated. Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery. All apparel items are online-only, custom-made, and all sales are final. There will not be physical apparel sales at the championship meet.
Team champion apparel will be added and available for online purchase shortly after the meet.
Follow the Action
Those traveling to St. Olaf should be advised that parking is limited and will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Spectators are encouraged to arrive early, park in the Skoglund/Tostrud lots, and walk over to the course.
Bicycles and non-service animals are strictly prohibited at the course. Please leave bikes and pets at home.
Fans who are not traveling to Northfield will have access to unofficial results soon after the action concludes courtesy of Hero's Timing.
The MIAC has a championship home page for the event that will serve as the online home of the meet. The championship page will include results and recaps as they become available.
| Championship Home Page | Top Times | Course Map | Parking | Unofficial Meet Results | Apparel |
In the Polls
- St. Olaf, Saint John's, and Carleton are regionally ranked in the most recent USTFCCCA balloting, released on October 20. The Oles are No. 4 in the North Region with the Johnnies at No. 7 and the Knights at No. 8.
All-Conference Returners
Five of the top 15 runners from last year's conference championship race have been back in action this season, including Saint John's senior Cole Stencel (4th), Bethel junior Hootie Hage (7th), Macalester junior John Ihrke (8th), St. Olaf junior Cooper Gundersen (11th), and St. Olaf sophomore Connor Hitchcock (14th).
Around the MIAC
- Augsburg first-year Lucien Randolph-Tarrant (Minneapolis, Minn. / St. Paul Conservatory HS) paced the Auggies with a personal-best time of 27:26.1 at the CSB+SJU Autumn Classic on 10/17. Randolph-Tarrant cut more than four minutes off his previous collegiate best and placed 24th in the 118-runner field.
- Bethel junior Hootie Hage (Prior Lake, Minn. / Prior Lake) was the individual runner-up at the Toni St. Pierre Invitational on 9/18, covering the 8K course in 25:53.6. Hage has placed among the top four finishers in three of his four meets this season.
- Carleton junior Travis Brown (Boulder, Colo. / Fairview) finished second at the River Town Invitational on 9/4. Brown crossed the line at 26:53.7, leading the Knights to their first team victory since 9/9/2022.
- Concordia senior Tyler Goss (Devils Lake, N.D. / Devils Lake) led the Cobbers with a personal best time of 25:22.6 at the Augustana Interregional on 10/17. Goss placed sixth as an individual at the meet.
- Gustavus senior Nick Brauer (Mankato, Minn. / Mankato East) won the CSB+SJU Autumn Classic on 10/17 with a season-best time of 25:56.6 on the 8K course. Brauer helped lift the Gusties to the program's first team win since 9/3/2022.
- Hamline first-year Vaughn Watts (Bloomington, Minn. / Bloomington Jefferson) paced the Pipers at the CSB+SJU Autumn Classic on 10/17 with a personal-best 8K time of 28:38.8. Watts finished 46th overall at the meet.
- Macalester junior John Ihrke (Northbrook, Ill. / Glenbrook North) crossed the finish line first in front of a field of 100 runners at the Ole Opener on 9/4, covering the 5-kilometer course in 15:57.2. Ihrke was one of four Scots to finish in the top 7 en route to winning the team title.
- Saint John's senior Cole Stencel (Mapleton, Minn. / Maple River) ran the fastest 8K in program history at the George Oja Invitational on 10/17. Stencel finished eighth overall and third among NCAA Division III competitors with a time of 23:55.1 at the 401-runner event. Saint John's placed ninth out of 32 teams and fourth among D-III programs at the meet.
- Saint Mary's senior Isaiah Fitzgerald (Rochester, Minn. / Stewartville) ran a personal best 8K time of 26:03.6 at the Roy Griak Invitational on 9/18. He has finished among the top 100 in each of his three meets this season.
- St. Olaf junior Garrett Seppanen topped his previous personal-best 8K time by more than one minute and logged the No. 11 8K performance in program history by finishing in 24:41.7 at the Connecticut College Invitational on 10/17. Seppanen also has two top-15 finishes this season, both on the Oles' home course.
- St. Scholastica first-year Cadyn Vanderwal (Ortonville, Minn. / Ortonville) recorded the seventh-fastest 8K time in program history with a 24:45.5 at the Augustana Interregional on 10/17. Vanderwal's time is a new collegiate best by 22 seconds.