PORTLAND, Ore. – The Great Northwest Athletic Conference released their 2026 GNAC Men's and Women's Cross Country Preseason Polls Tuesday afternoon.
The Wildcat Women's Cross Country Team were slotted second in the GNAC Preseason Poll, earning 82 total points. Western Washington was the only team picked ahead of the 'Cats earning all 10 first-place votes and 100 total points. On the men's side the CWU Men's Cross Country Team was tabbed sixth with a total of 48 points. WWU also paced the men's preseason poll earning all 10 first-place votes and 100 total points.
The CWU Women's Cross Country Team returns a big group from the 2025 season that saw them finish fifth at the GNAC Championships, headlined by sophomore
Maddy Harrison and junior
Payton Conover. Conover paced the 'Cats in the 2025 GNAC Championships with a 13th-place finish with Harrison immediately behind her in 14th-place. Harrison backed up her performance in the 2025 NCAA West Region Championships with a top-30 finish, placing 28th.
The CWU Men's Cross Country Team will look to replace a chunk of the 2025 roster with only sophomore
Weston Breen and junior
Charles Naught returning to the roster. Breen began his collegiate career last season with a meet victory in the CWU XC Open but was limited in the latter part of the season. Naught will look to build off a top-40 performance at the GNAC Championships, placing 38th overall.
View the full GNAC Preseason Cross Country Polls
HERE
2026 GNAC Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll
| Rank |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
Western Washington (10) |
100 |
| 2 |
Central Washington |
82 |
| 3 |
Simon Fraser |
80 |
| 4 |
Alaska Anchorage |
76 |
| 5 |
Seattle Pacific |
75 |
| 6 |
Western Oregon |
73 |
| 7 |
Northwest Nazarene |
60 |
| 8 |
Alaska Fairbanks |
40 |
| 9 |
Montana State Billings |
28 |
| 10 |
Saint Martin's |
26 |
2026 GNAC Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll
| Rank |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
Western Washington (10) |
100 |
| T2 |
Alaska Anchorage |
83 |
| T2 |
Northwest Nazarene |
83 |
| 4 |
Western Oregon |
72 |
| 5 |
Simon Fraser |
56 |
| 6 |
Central Washington |
48 |
| 7 |
Seattle Pacific |
41 |
| 8 |
Alaska Fairbanks |
34 |
| 9 |
Saint Martin's |
20 |
| 10 |
Montana State Billings |
13 |
