CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference has released the 2026 Men's and Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Polls, as voted on by the league's head coaches. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team. Toledo was selected as the preseason favorite on both the men's and women's sides entering the 2026 season.
The Rockets earned 11 of 12 first-place votes and 121 points to claim the top spot in the women's poll. Ohio was picked second with 101 points, while Western Michigan received the remaining first-place vote and totaled 87 points to place third. Bowling Green (80) and Central Michigan (78) rounded out the top five.
Toledo also sits atop the men's preseason poll after receiving nine of 10 first-place votes and 81 points. Miami earned the remaining first-place vote and was selected second with 72 points, followed by Akron (60), Ohio (53) and Eastern Michigan (50) in the top five.
The Rockets enter the 2026 campaign as the two-time defending MAC champions on the men's side, while Toledo's women's program has captured five consecutive MAC Cross Country Championships.
The 2026 MAC Cross Country Championships are scheduled for Friday, Oct. 30 at Prairies Golf Club in Kalamazoo, Mich.
Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll
(First-place votes in parentheses)
1. Toledo (11) - 121
2. Ohio - 101
3. Western Michigan (1) - 87
4. Bowling Green - 80
5. Central Michigan - 78
6. Miami - 75
7. UMass - 74
8. Akron - 57
9. Eastern Michigan - 48
10. Ball State - 34
11. Buffalo - 26
12. Kent State - 11
Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll
(First-place votes in parentheses)
1. Toledo (9) - 81
2. Miami (1) - 72
3. Akron - 60
4. Ohio - 53
5. Eastern Michigan - 50
T-6. UMass - 39
T-6. Buffalo - 39
8. Central Michigan - 30
9. Kent State - 16
10. Bowling Green - 9
