NCAC Championship Preview: Men’s & Women’s Cross Country

10/30/2026 3:39:00 PM | By: Jamie Dailey '22, SID Assistant

Men's & Women's Cross Country Will Compete At NCAC Championships Hosted By Oberlin College This Weekend

OBERLIN, OH. – Championship season has arrived for the Blue Streaks.

The 2026 North Coast Athletic Conference Championships is set to take place this Saturday, October 31st hosted by Oberlin College at the North Fields - Cross Country Course.

The women's 6k championship race will start at 11:00 am, followed by the men's championship 8k at 12:00 pm. The awards ceremony will begin at 1:00 pm.

Meet Information
Live Stream
Live Results
Men's 8k Championship Course Map
Women's 6k Championship Course Map

Both squads have had their fair share of success at the conference level the past few years, even before entering the NCAC.

Last season, the men made history, earning their first ever NCAC championship, scoring 24 points, a new record for the program.

The Blue Streaks return five of their top seven from last year that claimed All-Conference honors, which will be a huge benefit for the team this weekend.

Sam Su has led the charge for the group this year. He was named NCAC Athlete of the Week twice this season and ran his fastest time of 24:22.9 at Augustana.

Another junior who has improved and stepped up for the men this year is Joey Naiman. He ran his best time of 25:15.3 at Augustana. Look out for him to be in the mix.

Charles Payne has been a top five runner for JCU this year as he will look to make a major impact. In 2025, he was named the NCAC Newcomer of the Year for the men at last year's conference championships.

The duo of Chris Whiting and Matthew Dienes have been working with each other to round out the top five.

Other contributors that have been gaining momentum throughout the year are Joey Cappuzzello and Phil Coury. Phil placed 11th overall at last year's championships.
On the women's side, they return five All-NCAC athletes from last year.

In their last appearance, they placed ninth overall against some of the top programs in Division III at Augustana two weeks ago.

The duo of Anne Rea and Morgan Dobos will be competitive up front and will look to be those low sticks for the Blue Streaks. Both earned new personal bests in their last races for JCU.

Samantha Goodnough has taken a major step this year. She was JCU's number one runner back in September at the Spartan Invite, earning herself NCAC Athlete of the Week honors. Look for her to be a valuable contributor in the postseason.

Madeline Harrington and Kylie Bennington have provided the depth this season. Both juniors bring a lot of momentum to the squad and have been guiding the team to be in the mix in every competition.

Seniors Alyssa Vis and Kelsey Sheridan bring a lot of experience, competing at last year's conference and regional meets. Sheridan was All-NCAC last year with a 16th place finish.

Some others to keep an eye out for are Ana Buehrer and Meah Prutzman, who had stellar races at the Oberlin Inter-Regional Rumble, both placing in the top 25.

Coach Daniel Tutskey, Director of Cross Country/Track & Field at John Carroll University is excited for what the opportunity brings to competing at the conference championships.

"We're expecting a very competitive championship meet where positioning, composure, and managing the emotions is top of mind," mentioned Tutskey.

"There will be challenges that our athletes will endure during the course of a 6k and 8k. It's important to be there for each other and help each other."

Both the men and women were ranked first in the NCAC Pre-Championship Poll announced this past Monday from the North Coast Athletic Conference. The men were awarded with 80, tallying eight first place votes, while the women claimed 61 points with six first place votes.

Follow along this year's championships on the live results and stream links posted on our schedule on JCUSports.com.

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