SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – North Dakota cross country found itself in the top two positions of each the men and women's rankings as 2026 Summit League Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll was released Wednesday morning. The Fighting Hawk women were tabbed to win the conference during the 2026 season while the men were chosen to finish second and four athletes were named as Preseason Athletes to Watch.
The women's preseason poll saw UND finish atop the standings with 47 total points and five first-place votes. South Dakota State followed in second place with 42 points and two first-places votes as North Dakota State took third with 39 points and the final first-place vote. Rounding out the remaining five spots, in order, were South Dakota, St. Thomas, Oral Roberts, Omaha and Kansas City.
Just last season, the North Dakota women clinched the Summit League Cross Country title at the championship meet, marking the first Summit League title for any program in school history.
Jadyn Keeler led the way for the Hawks as she claimed the individual crown to lead all five scoring athletes to top-15 finishes. UND locked down the top prize with their 34 points in the 6k before going on to finish eighth at the NCAA Midwest Regional with 289 points backed by a fourth-place finish from Keeler.
The men's preseason poll feature North Dakota in second place with 32 points and two first-place votes. South Dakota State was first in the release with 35 points and five first-place votes as North Dakota State took third with 26 points. Rounding out the final four positions in the poll were Oral Roberts, South Dakota and St. Thomas all tied for fourth with 16 points as Kansas City was seventh with six points.
2026 saw the UND men take second place at the conference meet after
Louis-Lys Fanucchi broke from the pack to claim third place in the 8k to lead the Fighting Hawks. The next four scorers for North Dakota all finished in the top-14 of the race to secure two First Team All-Summit honors and three Second Team honors alongside 46 points on the day for the runner-up finish. At the NCAA Midwest Regional, the men recorded their top team finish in UND history as they took 13
th in the 10k with 415 points.
In the same release, North Dakota also had four cross country runners honored as Preseason Athletes to Watch. Fanucchi and
Matej Hrebacka earned the distinction for the men as
Marie-Louise Jorgensen and
Shewaye Johnson were recognized for the women.
Fanucchi tallied three new personal bests during the cross country season in the 6k, 8k and 10k races. He also made waves during the conference championship meet as he finished third alongside a time of 23:58.8 for First Team All-Summit honors before taking 62
nd at the NCAA Midwest Regional in 32:23.5, both marking new PRs.
Hrebacka placed seventh at the Summit League Cross Country Championships in 24:01.2 to claim First Team All-Summit honors after clocking two new personal bests in the 6k and 8k during regular season competition. He then went on to lead UND in the NCAA Midwest Regional as he claimed 41
st place in 31:46.9.
The freshman season for Jorgensen saw her earn two total new personal bests in the 5k and 6k races before she secured a strong fifth-place showing at the conference meet after crossing the finish line in 20:45.4. Her finish gave her First Team All-Summit and Newcomer of the Championship honors before she took 79
th at the regional in 22:05.1.
Johnson's debut season at North Dakota saw a highlight performance at the conference championships when she finished fourth overall in a time of 20:25.5, earning First Team All-Summit distinction. She went on to be the second-highest placing Hawk at the Midwest Regional after taking 27
th in 21:07.8.
The 2026 cross country season will officially kick off for North Dakota this week as the Fighting Hawks head to Moorhead, Minn. for the Dragon Twilight on Friday, September 4.
2026 SUMMIT LEAGUE MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON POLL
|
Team |
Score (1st place votes) |
| 1. |
South Dakota State |
35 (5) |
| 2. |
North Dakota |
32 (2) |
| 3. |
North Dakota State |
26 |
| 4. |
Oral Roberts |
16 |
| 4. |
South Dakota |
16 |
| 4. |
St. Thomas |
16 |
| 7. |
Kansas City |
6 |
2026 SUMMIT LEAGUE WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON POLL
|
Team |
Score (1st place votes) |
| 1. |
North Dakota |
47 (5) |
| 2. |
South Dakota State |
42 (2) |
| 3. |
North Dakota State |
39 (1) |
| 4. |
South Dakota |
31 |
| 5. |
St. Thomas |
23 |
| 6. |
Oral Roberts |
19 |
| 7. |
Omaha |
13 |
| 8. |
Kansas City |
10 |
For updates and information on North Dakota cross country and track and field, follow on social media @UNDtrackfieldXC or visit FightingHawks.com.
-- UND --
