(Logo courtesy of the Great Plains Athletic Conference)Sioux City, Iowa – The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) has released their 2026 Preseason Men’s Cross Country Poll after a vote of the league coaches.
Dordt University is the preseason pick for 2026. The Defenders tallied 95 points and six first place votes after a second-place finish in the league last fall. Truman Johnson from Dordt was the 2025 individual champion.
2025 GPAC Champion, Doane University, is picked second with 94 points and the final five first place votes. Concordia, Northwestern, and Midland round out the top five. Morningside was picked sixth with 53 points.
The 2026 GPAC Cross Country Championships are Saturday, November 7, in Sioux Center, Iowa, at Dordt University.
Coaches could not vote for their own team in the poll.
Great Plains Athletic Conference 2026 Men’s Cross-Country Preseason Poll
| Place | Team | Points | First Place Votes |
| 1 | DORDT | 95 | 6 |
| 2 | DOANE | 94 | 5 |
| 3 | CONCORDIA | 76 | |
| 4 | NORTHWESTERN | 72 | |
| 5 | MIDLAND | 64 | |
| 6 | MORNINGSIDE | 53 | |
| 7 | MOUNT MARTY | 46 | |
| 8 | HASTINGS | 45 | |
| 9 | WALDORF | 27 | |
| 10 | DAKOTA WESLEYAN | 17 | |
| 11 | BRIAR CLIFF | 16 |
