Men's Cross Country 8/13/2026 6:00:00 PM Clayton Messerle, Assistant Athletic Director

Corban Men’s Cross Country Picked Third in 2026 CCC Coaches Preseason Poll

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) office announced the 2026 Men's Cross Country Coaches Preseason Poll on Thursday morning, with the Corban University men's cross country program earning a third-place selection among the conference's 12 member institutions after receiving 117 total voting points and two first-place votes.

To view the conference's release on the 2026 CCC Men's Cross Country Coaches' Preseason Poll, click HERE.

"We are excited for this season as we walk into a very competitive CCC, shared Corban associate head coach Stuart Eagon. "On paper, this is the most athletic men's team that Corban University has ever had for cross country, and our depth all the way through the 10th man has improved drastically. It wouldn't be shocking to me if three of the top five teams in the NAIA came from our conference at the end pf the season. We believe we are in the national contending conversation with two All-American caliber newcomers to add to a team that has six of its top seven runners back. Having at least three All-Americans, maybe four, is not unreasonable at all. However, the NAIA is getting more competitive every year, and we know that we have two values for this year: pursuing Jesus and hard work. If we do those two things, day in and day out, I believe we will have an excellent season."

The Warriors trail only conference favorite Southern Oregon University (139 points, eight first-place votes) and The College of Idaho (121 points), while finishing narrowly ahead of Trinity Western University (112 points) and Eastern Oregon University (109 points, two first-place votes).

The preseason recognition comes on the heels of one of the most successful campaigns in program history. Under the leadership of Eagon, Corban continued its rise on both the conference and national stages during the 2025 season, culminating in a fifth-place team finish at the CCC Championships and a historic 13th-place result at the NAIA National Championships, the highest team finish in program history.

Corban's 2025 championship run was highlighted by an outstanding showing at the CCC Championships, hosted by the Warriors at Oak Knoll Golf Course in Independence. The Navy and Gold placed fifth overall with 108 team points and produced two All-Conference performers. Then junior standout Jack Gladfelter paced the Warriors with a third-place individual finish, while graduate student Zander Moha placed sixth overall.

The Warriors' success carried over to the national stage, where Corban continued to establish itself among the NAIA's elite programs. Both Gladfelter and Moha earned All-American honors with an 11th-place finish at the 2025 NAIA National Championships, while Braydon Lee, Bennet Mason, Logan Mason, Nathan Pfaff, and Kai Kearns helped the Warriors secure the best national team finish in school history.

Since Eagon joined the Corban coaching staff in 2021, the Warriors have steadily evolved into a national contender. The program earned its first-ever team berth to the NAIA National Championships in 2023 and has consistently appeared in national rankings while producing multiple All-Americans and championship-caliber performances.

The 2026 poll reflects growing expectations for a program that returns significant experience and momentum entering the fall season and demonstrates the respect that Corban has earned from the remainder of the CCC with back-to-back top three preseason predictions. With a blend of established veterans and developing young talent, the Warriors will look to challenge for a conference championship and continue its emergence as one of the NAIA's premier distance-running programs.

2026 CCC Men's Cross Country Coaches' Preseason Poll Results

Rank Team [First-Place Votes] Points

1. Southern Oregon [8] 139

2. College of Idaho 121

3. Corban (Ore.) [2] 117

4. Trinity Western 112

5. Eastern Oregon [2] 109

6. Northwest (Wash.) 84

7. Oregon Tech 70

8. Lewis-Clark State 61

9. Evergreen State (Wash.) 44

10. Bushnell (Ore.) 28