DALLAS – Middle Tennessee’s men’s program enters its third consecutive season as the preseason favorites, while Liberty tops the women’s poll for the second year in a row. The 2026 Cross Country Preseason Polls were each voted on by the leagues head coaches.
The Blue Raiders are a clear early favorite on the men’s side, receiving seven of eight first place votes and collecting 49 points overall. Liberty comes up second, receiving one first place vote, followed by Jax State to round out the top three.
The Lady Flames dominated the women’s poll, earning eight first place votes and a total of 80 points. Kennesaw State and Missouri State tied for second on the list while Middle Tennessee and New Mexico State tied for third. The Blue Raiders also received two first place votes.
Last season, MTSU won the men’s conference title with 37 points, beating Liberty who finished with 55 points. The team went on to have a strong postseason performance, finishing sixth overall at the very competitive South Regional Championship.
This year, the Blue Raider squad is returning two-time CUSA individual champion,
Allan Kiplagat, consistent top finisher and track and field distance champion,
Moses Lekokei and 2025 CUSA Freshman of the Meet,
Solomon Sayo. MTSU will have four of its six All-Conference honorees from the previous season back in action this year as the team looks to defend its conference title.
The Flames secured their second straight women’s title last year with 40 points, recording the second largest margin of victory in meet history ahead of runner-up New Mexico State who finished with 104 points. Liberty’s
Allie Zealand led the pack, securing the individual CUSA title and beating the rest of the field by nearly 30 seconds. She went on to claim All-America honors after recording a 21
st place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships with a program-record 6k time of 19:06.8.
Five of the Flames’ All-Conference honorees return to the course this season, including the All-American, Zealand. As the preseason favorites, they will set out for a third consecutive conference title.
Also returning this season on the women’s side is Jax State’s 2025 CUSA Freshman of the Meet,
Viola Jepleting.
The 2026 cross country season will officially return next Friday, September 4 when seven CUSA programs are set to compete. As the season progresses, programs will focus their attention on the CUSA Cross Country Championship scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31, in Huntsville, Ala., hosted by the Huntsville Sports Commission.
CUSA Preseason Poll Results
Men's XC Preseason Poll
| 1. |
MTSU (7) |
49 |
| 2. |
Liberty (1) |
42 |
| 3. |
Jax State |
37 |
| 4. |
NM State |
29 |
| 5. |
Kennesaw State |
25 |
| 6. |
WKU |
21 |
| 7. |
Sam Houston |
14 |
| 8. |
FIU |
7 |
Women's XC Preseason Poll
| 1. |
Liberty (8) |
80 |
| 2. |
Kennesaw State |
60 |
| 2. |
Missouri State |
60 |
| 4. |
MTSU (2) |
54 |
| 4. |
NM State |
54 |
| 6. |
Delaware |
44 |
| 7. |
Jax State |
40 |
| 8. |
FIU |
26 |
| 9. |
WKU |
20 |
| 10. |
Sam Houston |
12 |