'Cuse Men Predicted as ACC Preseason Favorite
8/25/2026 3:00:00 PM | Cross Country
The Syracuse men's cross country team was picked as the co-favorite in the ACC Preseason Poll, which was released on Tuesday.
The Orange, which are coming off a fourth-place finish at last year's NCAA Championships, won the NCAA Northeast Region Championship and was the ACC runner-up a year ago.
Brien Bell – 2025 ACC Coach of the Year – looks to lead the Orange men to their 18th consecutive NCAA Championship appearance. Syracuse enters the season with the nation's third-longest active streak of NCAA appearances.
Last year's NCAA Northeast Region title and podium finish at nationals extended another streak for the Orange. The Syracuse men have won at least one championship (ACC, Northeast Region or NCAA) and/or finished in the top-10 at the NCAA Championships every season since 2009 (excluding the COVID impacted season). The Orange have five top-10 finishes in the last 11 seasons at the NCAA Championships.
Syracuse earned 269 points in the poll, which ties them with Wake Forest for the top spot in the preseason. 'Cuse's six first-place votes led all teams, however the nation's top cross country conference has six squads receiving at least one first-place vote (Wake Forest: 5, Virginia: 3, Louisville: 1, Virginia Tech: 1, and North Carolina: 1). That doesn't include Notre Dame, which was picked third in the preseason without a first-place vote.
The Orange women were predicted to finish 13th in the preseason. Defending NCAA Champion NC State was a unanimous preseason favorite.
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The Orange, which are coming off a fourth-place finish at last year's NCAA Championships, won the NCAA Northeast Region Championship and was the ACC runner-up a year ago.
Brien Bell – 2025 ACC Coach of the Year – looks to lead the Orange men to their 18th consecutive NCAA Championship appearance. Syracuse enters the season with the nation's third-longest active streak of NCAA appearances.
Last year's NCAA Northeast Region title and podium finish at nationals extended another streak for the Orange. The Syracuse men have won at least one championship (ACC, Northeast Region or NCAA) and/or finished in the top-10 at the NCAA Championships every season since 2009 (excluding the COVID impacted season). The Orange have five top-10 finishes in the last 11 seasons at the NCAA Championships.
Syracuse earned 269 points in the poll, which ties them with Wake Forest for the top spot in the preseason. 'Cuse's six first-place votes led all teams, however the nation's top cross country conference has six squads receiving at least one first-place vote (Wake Forest: 5, Virginia: 3, Louisville: 1, Virginia Tech: 1, and North Carolina: 1). That doesn't include Notre Dame, which was picked third in the preseason without a first-place vote.
The Orange women were predicted to finish 13th in the preseason. Defending NCAA Champion NC State was a unanimous preseason favorite.
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