Men's Cross Country | 9/4/2026 9:45:00 AM
Experience and added depth highlight the Gannon men's cross country roster as the Golden Knights prepare for the 2026 season.
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Gannon was selected eighth in the PSAC Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll and returns several runners with postseason experience. A large group of experienced juniors, combined with a number of promising newcomers, gives the Golden Knights optimism entering the fall.
Tang Leads Returning Group
Robert Tang (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) headlines Gannon's group of returners after emerging as the Golden Knights' top performer during the 2025 postseason.
Tang finished 29th at the PSAC Championships before placing 58th at the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional. His performance leaves him just outside the All-PSAC positions entering a season in which Gannon will look for several runners to take another step forward.
Experienced Pack Returns
The Golden Knights return plenty of experience behind Tang.
Noah Mammone (Hudson, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy) finished 65th at the 2025 PSAC Championships, while Ethan Boots (Poland, Ohio/Boardman) placed 75th. Lauge Rasmussen (Virum, Denmark/Oregard Gynbasium) was 86th at PSACs before finishing 97th at the Atlantic Regional.
Gannon also welcomes back Bradyn Rusch (Valley View, Ohio/Cuyahoga Heights), who finished 43rd at the 2024 PSAC Championships and 93rd at the Atlantic Regional that season.
With a large portion of the group now possessing multiple seasons of collegiate experience, the Golden Knights expect their depth to be one of their strengths in 2026.
Newcomers Add to the Depth
Gannon supplements its returning group with several newcomers capable of contributing immediately.
Brodie Terkhorn (Jeffersonville, Ind./St. Xavier), a transfer from Niagara, joins the program with an 8K best of 26:03.
Freshman Dane Hieronimus (Toledo, Ohio/Bedford Senior) owns a cross country 5K time of 15:56 along with a 9:39 mark in the 3,200 meters. Mikey Schimelfenig arrives after placing seventh at the PIAA Class A Cross Country Championships and has recorded times of 9:39 in the 3,200 and 4:22 in the 1,600.
Their additions provide Gannon with additional options as it looks to develop a deeper scoring group.
Replacing Malena
The Golden Knights will have a key postseason performer to replace following the departure of Luke Malena (Medina, Ohio/Cloverleaf).
Malena finished 28th at the 2025 Atlantic Regional. Gannon also loses Adam Kanterman (Milford, Pa./Delaware Valley), who placed 79th at last year's PSAC Championships.
Their departures create opportunities for Tang and Gannon's experienced group of returners to assume larger roles.
Golden Knights Eye Top Seven
Gannon enters the year ranked eighth in the conference preseason poll after continuing to develop a deep group of runners.
The Golden Knights expect to remain among the PSAC's top 10 teams, but with a large group of experienced juniors and several additions to the roster, a move into the top five to seven is viewed as realistic if multiple runners take a step forward.
Defending PSAC champion Shippensburg enters the season as the overwhelming preseason favorite after receiving 13 first-place votes. East Stroudsburg received the remaining two first-place votes and was selected second, followed by West Chester, Kutztown and Slippery Rock.
