SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's cross country team was voted atop the 2026 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll released Wednesday afternoon by the conference office.
 
The preseason coaches' poll is selected by the league's coaches. The conference does not allow coaches to vote for their own team in the preseason polls.
 
Shippensburg received all but one of the possible first-place votes it could have received. East Stroudsburg received two first-place votes and ranks directly behind the Raiders.
 
West Chester, Kutztown and Slippery Rock round out the Top 5.
 
Shippensburg is under the direction of Steve Spence, who enters his 29th season leading the Raiders in 2026. SU has won three consecutive PSAC championships and has finished either first or second at the conference meet in each of the last six years.
 
The team enters the season with a 13-person roster that includes 10 returning runners and three first-year recruits. Four of SU's six All-PSAC performers from last season are back: Tommy Crum Jr. (fourth place), Ben Devine (eighth place), Ramon Urena (20th place) and Brennan Wellock (24th place). Garrett Quinan (second place) and Ryan Wolfe (sixth place) have exhausted their eligibility but remain with the team as student assistant coaches.
 
Shippensburg begins its season Friday, September 4 when it hosts the famed Galen Piper Cross Country Challenge at the campus recreation complex.
 
2026 PSAC Preseason Men's Cross Country Poll
(First-place votes are indicated in parentheses; teams are not allowed to vote for themselves)
 
1. Shippensburg (13)
2. East Stroudsburg (2)
3. West Chester
4. Kutztown
5. Slippery Rock
6. Edinboro
7. Lock Haven
8. Gannon
9. IUP
10. Bloomsburg
11. California
12. Seton Hill
13. Mansfield
14. Pitt-Johnstown
15. Shepherd