Big Ten Conference Announces Preseason Men’s Runners to Watch

ROSEMONT, lll. – The Big Ten Conference’s 2026 Men’s Runners to Watch List was announced on Wednesday, featuring 15 cross country student-athletes. The watch list was determined by the conference’s head coaches.  

The 2026 cross country season is set to begin on Friday, Sep. 4. Oregon claimed its first men’s Big Ten team title last season, breaking Wisconsin’s streak of seven championships in a row. Big Ten Athlete of the Year Abdel Laadjel also collected the individual title for the Ducks, as he was the fastest men’s runner by 11 seconds. 

On the list, six runners collected postseason honors in 2025, including five who earned a top 10 finish at the Big Ten Championship.  

The complete 2026 Men’s Runners to Watch List can be found below:

Big Ten Men’s Cross Country Runners to Watch 
Adam Patel, Jr., Illinois 
Tony Provenzano, Jr., Indiana 
Miles Wilson, Sr., Iowa 
Nathan Lopez, Sr., Michigan 
Riley Hough, Grad, Michigan State 
Emmett Gerres, Jr., Minnesota 
Rico Leijenaar, So., Nebraska 
Noah Sharp, Sr., Ohio State 
Evan Bishop, Grad., Oregon 
Nick Sloff, Sr., Penn State 
Douglas Buckeridge, Grad., Purdue 
Micah Lawson, Sr., Rutgers 
Andreas Dybdahl, So., UCLA 
Theodor Schucht, Jr., Washington 
Christian de Vaal, Sr., Wisconsin