NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College men's and women's cross country teams are set to host the 2026 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Oct. 31.
St. Olaf will host the 12-team women's six-kilometer race at 11 a.m., followed by the 11-team men's eight-kilometer race at 12 p.m. An awards ceremony will follow at roughly 1 p.m. behind the starting line after results are finalized.
Spectators may attend the meet for free, but bicycles and non-service animals are strictly prohibited at the course. Spectators are encouraged to arrive early, park in the
Skoglund/Tostrud lots, and walk over to the course. Live results will be available through
Hero's Timing.
Official 2026 MIAC Cross Country Championship apparel is available for purchase
online. No sales will be available at the meet. Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery. All sales are final. Championship gear for the two winning teams will be available to purchase online shortly after the meet.
WOMEN'S PREVIEW
After finishing as the runner-up last season, St. Olaf will look to replicate its 2024 team title on its home course. The Oles have won the meet each of the last two times (2021, 2024) that they have hosted the conference championship.
St. Olaf enters the meet receiving votes in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) national poll, while Carleton College is ranked No. 19. The two Northfield programs have combined to win the last eight team titles dating back to 2016, when the University of St. Thomas claimed the crown. Among current conference members, St. Olaf's 11 MIAC titles are three behind its crosstown rival.
Junior
Louisa Lamarre has been St. Olaf's top runner this season and is coming off running the No. 6 time on the program's six-kilometer all-time list (21:35.6) at the Connecticut College Invitational on Oct. 17. Lamarre finished 26th at the conference meet last year, one spot outside the honorable-mention spots.
Junior
Abi Lindquist earned All-MIAC honors last season with a 12th-place performance and was an honorable-mention performer in 2024 by placing 24th. Lindquist is the lone Ole on this year's team with a top-15 finish in the conference to her credit after St. Olaf graduated four of its top-five finishers from the 2025 meet.
MEN'S PREVIEW
St. Olaf will aim for its fifth consecutive MIAC team title on Saturday, as the Oles have finished at least 27 points ahead of the second-place finisher in each of the last four seasons. St. Olaf finished 51 points ahead of Carleton last year and was 73 points ahead of Saint John's University the last time the meet was held at St. Olaf in 2024.
The Oles are one of three regionally-ranked teams heading into the meet, as St. Olaf sits at No. 4 in the North Region according to the USTFCCCA. Saint John's and Carleton are ranked No. 7 and No. 8, respectively. Junior
Cooper Gundersen and sophomore
Connor Hitchcock are two of just five returning 2025 All-MIAC performers in this year's field.
St. Olaf had seven All-MIAC (top-15) performances in 2025, including Gundersen's 11th-place finish and Hitchcock's 14th-place showing. Gundersen was the Oles' fifth and final scorer, while Hitchcock did not score despite earning All-MIAC honors. Junior
Garrett Seppanen, who was 31st a year ago, enters the meet as one of the individual favorites. Sophomore
Noah DuVivier was an honorable-mention honoree as a first year after placing 24th.
The Oles are in search of the 14th MIAC championship in program history and a fifth title in a row would match the longest streak in program history (2012-16). Saint John's 15 titles are the most of any current MIAC member. St. Olaf and Carleton have combined to win the last 13 conference championships since Hamline University led the field in 2011.
