Men's Cross Country | 8/19/2026 2:35:00 PM
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference today continued its release of the fall sports preseason polls with the announcement of the 2026 PSAC Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll. Gannon was picked to finish eighth out of 15 teams.
Shippensburg was selected as the preseason favorite by the PSAC's coaches, receiving 13 first-place votes. East Stroudsburg garnered the remaining two first-place votes and was picked to finish second.
West Chester was selected third, followed by Kutztown in fourth and Slippery Rock in fifth. Edinboro was picked sixth, with Lock Haven seventh and the Golden Knights holding down the eighth spot in the preseason poll.
Gannon returns several of its top performers from last season, led by
Robert Tang (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon), a 2025 Second Team All-PSAC selection. Tang was Gannon's top finisher at the PSAC Championships, placing 29th with a time of 26:11.20, before finishing 58th at the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional.
Noah Mammone (Hudson, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy) and
Ethan Boots (Poland, Ohio/Boardman) also return after finishing 65th and 75th, respectively, at the 2025 PSAC Championships.
Lauge Rasmussen (Virum, Denmark/Oregard Gynbasium) placed 86th at the conference championships and 97th at the Atlantic Regional.
The Golden Knights also welcome back
Bradyn Rusch (Valley View, Ohio/Cuyahoga Heights), who finished 43rd at the 2024 PSAC Championships and 93rd at the 2024 Atlantic Regional.
Gannon adds several newcomers to a group that is expected to feature strong depth in 2026.
Brodie Terkhorn (Jeffersonville, Ind./St. Xavier), a transfer from Niagara, owns an 8K time of 26:03, while
Dane Hieronimus (Toledo, Ohio/Bedford Senior) has run 15:56 in the cross country 5K and 9:39 in the 3,200 meters.
Michael Schimelfenig (Moosic, Pa./Riverside) joins the Golden Knights after placing seventh at the PIAA Class A Cross Country Championships and owns marks of 9:39 in the 3,200 and 4:22 in the 1,600.
The Golden Knights will look to replace
Luke Malena (Medina, Ohio/Cloverleaf), who placed 28th at the 2025 Atlantic Regional, along with
Adam Kanterman (Milford, Pa./Delaware Valley), who finished 79th at the 2025 PSAC Championships.
With a large group of experienced juniors and added depth, Gannon is looking to maintain a spot in the conference's top 10 while potentially challenging for a finish in the top five to seven.
2026 PSAC Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll
(First-place votes in parentheses)
- Shippensburg (13)
- East Stroudsburg (2)
- West Chester
- Kutztown
- Slippery Rock
- Edinboro
- Lock Haven
- GANNON
- IUP
- Bloomsburg
- California
- Seton Hill
- Mansfield
- Pitt-Johnstown
- Shepherd
