Men's Cross Country | 8/27/2026 11:10:00 AM
ORLANDO, Fla.- The Sunshine State Conference released the 2026 preseason coaches poll for men's and women's cross country.
The Barry men placed sixth earning 55 points in the vote by conference coaches.
Florida Southern was picked the preseason favorite in 2025. The Moccasins are expected to win their fourth consecutive SSC Championship after receiving nine points and nine first-place votes.
Embry-Riddle ranked second in the voting with 18 points and the final first place vote, while Tampa landed in third with 24 points. Palm Beach Atlantic was fourth in the poll with 44 points, Nova Southeastern tied with Florida Tech with both teams landing in fifth with 45, and Barry rounded out the top six. Lynn (65 points), the Lions (69), and Eckerd (9 points) round out the bottom three spots of the poll.
Women's Cross Country tied for seventh in the 2025 Sunshine State Conference women's cross country coaches preseason poll. The Bucs, in their fourth year since returning to competition, earned 47 points in the poll of conference coaches.
Tampa received the top spot, after receiving eight votes and eight points. Nova Southeastern placed second, after receiving 16 points and the final first place vote. For the Spartans, it would be their 19th conference title after their win last season, and for the Sharks, it would be their second.
Embry-Riddle earned 25 points to take the third spot. Florida Southern got 32 points to round out the top four. Palm Beach Atlantic finished just narrowly behind the Sailfish, with 33 points to land in the middle of the ranking. the Bucs tied with Saint Leo for sixth with Lynn (56 points) and Eckerd (60 points) rounding out the poll.
The SSC Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships will take place on Saturday, November 25th, at Holloway Park in Lakeland. NCAA Division II regional competition will be on Saturday, November 21st, at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Ala. The National Championship is on Friday, December 4th, at Rim Rock in Lawrence, Kansas.
2026 SSC MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON COACHES POLL
| Rank |
School |
Total |
| 1 |
Florida Southern |
9 (9) |
| 2 |
Embry-Riddle |
18 (1) |
| 3 |
Tampa |
24 |
| 4 |
Palm Beach Atlantic |
44 |
| T5 |
Nova Southeastern |
45 |
| T5 |
Florida Tech |
45 |
| 6 |
Barry |
55 |
| 7 |
Lynn |
65 |
| 8 |
Saint Leo |
69 |
| 9 |
Eckerd |
75 |
2026 SSC WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON COACHES POLL
| Rank |
School |
Total |
| 1 |
Tampa |
8 (8) |
| 2 |
Nova Southeastern |
16 (1) |
| 3 |
Embry-Riddle |
25 |
| 4 |
Florida Southern |
32 |
| 5 |
Palm Beach Atlantic |
33 |
| T6 |
Barry |
47 |
| T6 |
Saint Leo |
47 |
| 7 |
Lynn |
56 |
| 8 |
Eckerd |
60 |
