NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. - The Southern Connecticut State University Owls, winners of the last four Northeast 10 Men's Cross Country championships, were chosen by the league's coaches as the favorites in 2026. Both the SCSU men's and women's teams earned to the top spot in the preseason coaches' polls, with the Southern New Hampshire and Bentley women and the Bentley men also nabbing first-place votes.
The Southern men graduate defending individual champion Jonathan Volpe, but return a vast stable of talent from last fall's championship team. NE10 first-teamers Colton Sallum (Rookie of the Year) and John Glidden (2024 Rookie of the Year) are expected to lead the way, while Joe Lamburn and Francis Porrini also return from all-conference performances at the NE10 Championship.
SCSU's men have won five of the last seven NE10 Cross Country Championship races, finishing as runners up in one of their two non-title years.
Franklin Pierce has become a staple near the top of the leaderboard in recent seasons. Under the direction of new coach Connor Everidge, the Ravens are flying following three second-place finishes in the last four championships.
The Northeast 10 women's cross country picture has been a little more contested in recent seasons, with SCSU winning in 2023 and 2025, but Bentley, SNHU and American Int'l all having won the 'ship since COVID. This year Southern Connecticut claimed a sizable amount of support in the coaches' poll, pulling eight of the 10 available first-place votes. Southern New Hampshire, the runners up in 2024, edged Bentley for second in the preseason rank.
Like the Owls men, the women also graduate the NE10 champion from last fall, but bring back oodles of talent. NE10 first-teamers Erin Sola and PJ Dauphinais are back along with Maya Fisher and Rae Geddes -- who had strong rookie campaigns in 2025.
Bentley, the 2024 NE10 winner, is stacked as well. The Falcons welcome returning first-team all-conference runners Samantha Doran and Lily Tedford along with second-teamer Molly Capece.
Complete polls are below.
The NE10 Championship runs November 7th on Long Island. Coverage of the Championship race will be carried live on FloCollege.
| Women's Coaches' Poll |
Team |
Votes |
1st Place |
Men's Coaches' Poll |
Team |
Votes |
1st Place |
| 1 |
Southern Connecticut State |
80 |
8 |
1 |
Southern Connecticut State |
64 |
8 |
| 2 |
Southern New Hampshire |
62 |
1 |
2 |
Franklin Pierce |
50 |
|
| 3 |
Bentley |
57 |
1 |
3 |
Bentley |
44 |
1 |
| 4 |
Adelphi |
55 |
|
4 |
Adelphi |
42 |
|
| 5 |
Saint Anselm |
51 |
|
5 |
Saint Michael's |
39 |
|
| 6 |
Saint Michael's |
46 |
|
6 |
Assumption |
31 |
|
| 7 |
Assumption |
41 |
|
7 |
Saint Anselm |
24 |
|
| 8 |
Franklin Pierce |
31 |
|
8 |
Southern New Hampshire |
22 |
|
| 9 |
American Int'l |
14 |
|
9 |
American Int'l |
8 |
|
| 10 |
Pace |
13 |
|
|
|
|
|
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 10 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
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