NEW HAVEN, Conn. (August 24, 2026) – The 2026 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference cross-country season gets underway the weekend of September 4-5 with most teams in action in various races throughout the region.
The regular season will be a buildup to the 2026 CACC Cross-Country Championships on Sunday, November 8, at Ocean County Park in Lakewood, N.J. The men’s 8,000-meter race will begin at 9 a.m. Thomas Jefferson University is the defending team champion, while 2025 individual winner Julian Jones of Wilmington University has graduated.
Georgian Court University will serve as host of the CACC Championships, which will be broadcast live on the CACC Network.
Below is a team-by-team preview of the 2026 campaign (submitted by member schools):
BRIDGEPORT – Junior Edoardo Vandelli is UB’s top returning runner. He is a two-time all-conference performer, placing fifth at last year’s championship meet and 15th as a freshman. Vandelli went on to finish 36th at the 2025 NCAA Division II East Regional. The Purple Knights will be led by first-year head coach Alex Petrecca.
CALDWELL – Caldwell’s top three and six of its leading seven harriers return. Sophomore Mo Toure was first among CU runners in the last five meets of 2025. Senior captain Logan Kudla is at the front of the pack of holdovers that includes senior Bryson Brutton, juniors Luke Molyneux and Nick Montiel, and sophomore Bryant Gordon. Track standout Jakub Sobura-Durma hits the cross country trail for his graduate season, joined by sophomore Gustavo Montoyl and freshman Steven Villantes as newcomers to the team.
CHESTNUT HILL – CHC returns senior Ryan O’Hara along with sophomore Moussa Coulibaly. They will be joined by a mix of true freshmen and runners from last season’s track & field team. The Griffins open the season on September 4 at Georgian Court’s Jersey Pines Classic, a preview meet for the CACC Championship which the Lions will be hosting this year. Chestnut Hill will compete in seven regular-season meets before the conference championship race on November 8.
DOMINICAN – The Chargers return five runners to their roster in 2026, including Deshawn Douglas who finished in 20th place at last year’s CACC Championship. Douglas had two top-five finishes, including winning the MSMC Knight Invite. The team produced four top-five finishes a year ago, including one team victory and two second-place results.
FELICIAN – Top returnees for the Golden Falcons include Patrick Du Bois and Hayden DeKoyer. Du Bois finished 18th at last year’s CACC Championship and had several other top finishes, including fourth at the Golden Eagle Invitational. DeKoyer ran a season-best 30:14.7 at the NJIT Highlander Invitational and placed among the top 40 at the CACC meet.
GEORGIAN COURT – GCU finished fourth in the CACC meet in 2025. The Lions return 5 of 7 finishers from last season, including All-CACC runner Ryan Pettrow (8th) and Zachary Spoonire (17th). Stephen Lane got a late start to cross country in 2025 and ended the 2026 track season finishing fifth outdoors at the CACC Championship. Georgian Court has four newcomers, including true freshmen Emmanuel Marin, Erick Ramirez, and Richard Riopel. Key losses include Joseph Jamolawicz and Matthew Schaub.
GOLDEY-BEACOM – Led by new interim head coach Marquise Berry, GBC opens its season on September 4 at the Delaware Invitational. Senior John Ferry has competed in all of the Lightning’s 21 races over the last three seasons. Ferry earned his second consecutive All-CACC honor in 2025 and won the Herb Lorenz Invitational as part of his five top-10 showings. Junior Aquillino Rozanski ran in six races a season ago, ending 25th at the Golden Ram Invitational and 42nd at the CACC Championship.
HOLY FAMILY – HFU returns four student-athletes to its 2026 team. The Tigers are coming off an eighth-place finish at the CACC Championship. They open their season on Sept. 4 at the Georgian Court Jersey Pine Barrens Challenge.
JEFFERSON – Legendary coach Dave Thomas has retired from his full-time head coaching role with the defending CACC champion Rams. He will remain involved with the program on a part-time basis in the transition to his successor, 2025 CACC Coach of the Year Joe Dare from Goldey-Beacom College. Jefferson enters the season young and hungry despite its defending champion status. The Rams are set to return six top-20 conference finishers including All-CACC recipients Ryan Goldberg, Thierno Barry, Chase Watson, and third-place finisher Dylan Boyle. Boyle became the first Ram since Tim Malloy in 2011 to win the CACC Rookie of the Year award. His best race arguably came at the NCAA D-II East Regional Championship, when he, along with Barry, took home All-Region honors as freshmen and led the Rams to their highest regional finish in school history.
POST – The Eagles will be led by first-year co-head coaches Bill Ferrare and Mario Longo. Ferrare previously guided Post from 2011-16 with Longo serving as his assistant. Anthony Guallape, Justin Halmose, Justin Pennix, and Marcus Wilson will take to the trails for the 2026 Eagles.
WILMINGTON – Wilmington returns four of its five All-CACC performers from a season ago, looking to improve upon its second-place finish and return to the top of the conference. Senior Carter Sparwasser (9th place in the CACC last year) leads a core group of returning sophomores in Julian Rich (12th), Skyler Pearson (14th), and Reggie Hernandez (15th). All four also scored in the NCAA East Regional Championship for the eighth-place Wildcats. The men also welcome two freshmen to what seems to be another promising squad for head coach Keith Jones.
Founded in 1961, the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference has been affiliated with NCAA Division II for 21 years. Conference institutions compete for championships in 18 sports – seven for men, 10 for women, and one co-ed. The CACC contains 11 full members in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Membership includes the University of Bridgeport, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, Dominican University New York, Felician University, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Post University, Thomas Jefferson University, and Wilmington University.