Marlborough, Mass. - October 28, 2026 - No. 10 nationally-ranked MIT has been selected atop the 2026 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Men’s Cross Country Pre-Championship poll as voted on by the nine head coaches from across the league ahead of the conference meet on Saturday, October 31.
This year’s NEWMAC Men’s Cross Country Championships will take place at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. The men’s 8-kilometer race will begin at 12:00 pm. You can find all of the information needed for Saturday’s meet here: 2026 NEWMAC Men’s Cross Country Championships.
The MIT men’s cross country team, which received eight of nine first place votes and is ranked tenth nationally and first regionally, has won 27 consecutive NEWMAC titles and will take to the course under the direction of head coach Dan Schuman, who is in his first season with the Engineers. MIT has been led this season by Renne Cooper (Austin, Texas) as he paced the Engineers at both the Conn College Invite and Pre-Nationals. Of MIT’s nine All-NEWMAC honorees from a season ago, the Engineers will return six to the course this fall including Cooper, Yichen Sun (Chapel Hill, N.C.), Landon Hering (Minnetonka, Minn.), Sam Hansen (Bountiful, Utah), Dylan Fiegener (Corvallis, Ore.) and Luke Rupert (Hill City, S.D.).
WPI received the other first place vote and is having a strong 2026 campaign under the direction of Brian Chabot. Worcester’s Engineers will enter the meet 25th nationally and fifth regionally in the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) polls and will be led by graduate Everett Mosher (Chester, Vt.). In four meets this fall, Mosher has recorded one first place finish, two second place finishes and a third place finish and garnered national runner of the week honors for his victory at RPI, becoming the first male cross country student-athlete from WPI to earn the national recognition. A season ago, Mosher was fourth at NEWMAC’s and will look to claim the individual title on Saturday.
Babson received 51 points in the poll to finish third as the Beavers are led by junior Nick Yacoub (Sharon, Mass.), who finished seventh at last year’s NEWMAC Championship meet, but is having another strong campaign for Babson this fall. Yacoub has won two individual titles at meets this year and also recorded the third fastest time in program history at the Conn College Invitational two weeks ago. Babson has finished third overall five straight seasons. Babson is ranked ninth regionally in the latest coaches poll.
Coast Guard received 43 points for fourth place in this year’s pre-championship poll and is currently the top NEWMAC team in the Mideast regional ranking at eighth overall. The Bears finished fourth at last year’s meet with 90 points. Senior Brendan Fant (East Lyme, Conn.) has guided Coast Guard finishing as the Bears’ top runner in each of their meets this year. In last year’s NEWMAC Championships, Fant crossed the line 13th for All-Conference honors, the first conference accolade of his career.
Springfield finished fifth in both this year’s pre-championship poll with 34 points and at last year’s NEWMAC Championship meet. The Pride have been led by junior Elijah Quinn (Holyoke, Mass.) all fall as he has been Springfield’s top finisher at four different meets in 2026. Gabe Schaeffer (Selinsgrove, Pa.) has also had a strong campaign as he was the Pride’s top finisher twice and was second behind Quinn at Springfield’s other four meets. Schaeffer individually finished 38th at last year’s NEWMAC Championships to pace the Pride.
Wheaton was sixth in this year’s pre-championship poll with 26 points. Sophomore Jack Kittredge (Broad Brook, Conn.) has been the Lyons’ top finisher in three of Wheaton’s four meets this fall as he was out paced by classmate Nolan Bushnell (Rochester, Mass.) at the Conn College Invitational by just 0.2-seconds. The duo ran their first NEWMAC meet last fall and will look to lead the Lyons on Saturday at Smith.
Clark finished seventh in the pre-championship poll with 24 points. Junior Summit Smoker (Lititz, Pa.) has led the Cougars in each of Clark’s four meets this fall which included a first place finish at the Ellen O’Neil Invitational and a third place finish at the WNE Golden Bear Invitational. Smoker was 25th at last year’s NEWMAC Championship meet clocking a time of 26:50.0.
Salve Regina and Emerson round out this year’s NEWMAC Men’s Cross Country pre-championship poll. Junior Justin Ruffler has been Salve Regina’s top runner all season finishing atop the pack in all five meets leading into the NEWMAC Championships, while Emerson first-year Aidan Waner (Silver Spring, Md.) has been a spark to the Lions unit this fall pacing the squad in four of five meets this year.
Complete NEWMAC Men’s Cross Country Pre-Championship Poll
1. MIT - 64 Points - 8 First Place Votes
2. WPI - 56 Points - 1 First Place Vote
3. Babson - 51 Points
4. Coast Guard - 43 Points
5. Springfield - 34 Points
6. Wheaton - 26 Points
7. Clark - 24 Points
8. Salve Regina - 14 Points
9. Emerson - 12 Points
About the NEWMAC
The NEWMAC is an association of 13 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Saint Anselm College (beginning reclassification process with NCAA in 2027-28), Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with seven Associate Members: New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 21 sports.