BRIGHTON, Mich. -- Hope College has been selected as the preseason favorite in the 2026 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Men’s Cross Country Preseason Poll, collecting 49 points and seven first-place votes. Trine University follows with 41 points and one first-place vote, while Calvin University rounds out the top three with 38 points.
The MIAA announced the preseason poll following a vote of the league’s eight head coaches. The 2026 season features a deep group of returning All-MIAA and USTFCCCA All-Region performers, including several members of last year’s championship-winning Hope squad.
1. Hope College – 49 points (7 first-place votes)
Hope captured its first MIAA Men’s Cross Country Championship since 1986 last season, scoring 22 points to claim the conference title.
Junior Logan Begeman leads the Flying Dutch after being named the 2025 MIAA Most Valuable Runner. Begeman won the conference championship in a personal-best 25:04.5 and went on to earn USTFCCCA All-Region honors with an eighth-place regional finish. Sophomore Aiden Moore also returns to the championship-caliber group after earning First Team All-MIAA honors with a third-place finish in a personal-best 25:09.3. Moore placed 12th at the regional meet to earn USTFCCCA All-Region recognition. Junior Elias Kretchmar earned First Team All-MIAA honors after finishing sixth at the conference championship in 25:24.6 and later placed ninth at the regional meet. Junior Cooper Jacobsen also claimed First Team recognition with an eighth-place finish in a personal-best 25:29.3 and finished 18th at the regional championship. The Flying Dutch also bring back a duo of Second Team All-MIAA performers. Senior Nile Devers placed 11th in a season-best 25:33.5, while sophomore Elijah Forbord finished 15th in a personal-best 25:52.2.
Mark Northuis was named the 2025 MIAA Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year after leading the Flying Dutch to their historic conference championship. The Hope alum has served as the program’s head coach since 1988.
2. Trine University – 41 points (1 first-place vote)
Trine finished second at the 2025 MIAA Championships with 66 points.
Junior Nick Spielman highlights the returning group after earning First Team All-MIAA honors with a fourth-place finish in a personal-best 25:14.8. Senior Blake Overmyer also provides regional experience after placing 22nd at the 2025 regional championship in 25:42.75 to earn USTFCCCA All-Region recognition.
3. Calvin University – 38 points
Calvin placed fourth at the 2025 MIAA Championships with 96 points.
Junior Vaughn Meyer leads the Knights’ returning runners after earning Second Team All-MIAA honors with a 10th-place finish in a season-best 25:32.6. Junior Pierce Bentley also enters the season following a 24th-place finish at the conference championship in a season-best 26:21.8.
4. Kalamazoo College – 32 points
Kalamazoo finished third at the 2025 MIAA Championships with 82 points.
Junior Carson Cook earned Second Team All-MIAA honors after placing 12th at the conference championship in a personal-best 25:34.9. Cook also earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors with a 27th-place finish at the regional meet. Junior Jack Schneider adds another Second Team All-MIAA performer to the Hornets’ lineup after taking 14th at the MIAA Championships in 25:44.9.
5. Adrian College – 22 points
Adrian placed fifth at the 2025 MIAA Championships with 138 points.
Senior Ryan Morris is the Bulldogs’ top returning runner after finishing the conference championship in 27:58.6. Sophomore Beau Shaffer and junior Joshua Sharp-Pelto also enter the season after finishing back-to-back at last year’s MIAA Championships, posting times of 28:08.7 and 28:09.9, respectively.
T6. Albion College – 16 points
Albion finished seventh at the 2025 MIAA Championships with 217 points.
Senior Logan Vining leads the Britons’ returning runners after recording a season-best 26:54.6 at the conference championship. Junior Alex Hammond also provides experience after finishing the league championship in a season-best 28:22.1.
Albion alum Kiehl Smith takes over as the new head coach of the Britons. Smith comes to Albion after serving as head men’s and women’s cross country and assistant track and field coach at Eastern University from 2021-26. Former head coach Lance Coleman remains with the program as director.
T6. The University of Olivet – 16 points
Olivet placed sixth at the 2025 MIAA Championships with 185 points.
Junior Brenden Castillo is the Comets’ top returning runner after finishing the conference championship in 27:16.5. Junior Luke Senters also enters the season following a personal-best 27:37.2 at the league championship.
8. Alma College – 10 points
Alma finished eighth at the 2025 MIAA Championships with 218 points.
Sophomore Felix Ramirez leads the Scots after completing last year’s conference championship in 28:10.0. Sophomore Nico Di Ponio finished directly behind Ramirez in 28:10.3 and provides another returning contributor.
The Scots welcome Takashi Gould as their new head coach. Gould arrives at Alma after serving as the Assistant Coach for Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Track and Field at Trinity College, where he has been a member of the coaching staff since August 2022.
Up Ahead
The 2026 MIAA Cross Country Championships will be hosted by Albion on October 31 at Marshall Country Club. The NCAA Division III Regionals are scheduled for November 14 at Forest Akers East Golf Course in East Lansing, Michigan. The NCAA Division III Championships will follow on November 21 at the Bill Huyck Championship Course in Northfield, Minnesota.