Men’s Cross Country Places Sixth Overall, Sam Su Secures Victory At NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships

11/14/2026 9:51:00 PM | By: Jamie Dailey '22, SID Assistant

Men's Cross Country Places Sixth Overall, Led By Sam Su's Championship Victory At NCAA Regionals

EAST LANSING, MI. – Earning a total of three All-Region performances, the Blue Streaks willed their way to a sixth place finish out of 38 teams this morning at the 2026 NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Championships at the Forest Akers East Golf Course.

The men collected a total of 184 points as they battled against a competitive field throughout the 8k race.

Taking home the team title and earning back-to-back championships was #1 Hope College with 82 points, followed by Calvin with 111 points, Case Western Reserve (123), Trine University (123), and Ohio Northern (182) to round out the top five.

Full Championship Results

JCU was the highest placing team from the North Coast Athletic Conference in the region as well.

Leading the race from start to finish and pulled away with 2k to go was Sam Su, who became the 2026 Great Lakes Regional Champion with a time of 24:57.0.

Su becomes the second runner from John Carroll in the last four years to win the Great Lakes Regional individual title since Alex Phillip back in 2022.

Next was the duo of Matthew Dienes (25:55.8) and Joey Naiman (25:56.1), who placed 26th and 27th overall. Their top 30 finishes led them to earning their first All-Region accolades of their career.

Charles Payne would be the next Blue Streak runner to cross the finish line, placing 52nd overall with a time of 26:20.6.

Rounding out the top five in scoring was senior Chris Whiting, running a time of 26:36.8 to place 78th overall.

Making his regional debut for the Blue & Gold and securing 84th overall was Joey Cappuzzello with a time of 26:46.2.

Phil Coury rounded out the group with a 139th place finish, clocking in at 27:34.3.

Last time the men's cross country team placed sixth overall at a regional championship was in 2018.

The men's cross country team will end their 2026 campaign with Sam Su earning his way back to the National Championships next weekend in Northfield, Minnesota.

Next Up
The NCAA Division III National Championships will be next Saturday, November 21st hosted by Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota at the Huyck Championship Course. Selections will be announced on Sunday, November 15th at 3:00 PM (ET).

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