STANFORD, Calif. — Heading into the 2026 season, Stanford cross country received national praise in this season’s preseason rankings as the Cardinal begins the campaign this Friday.
Under the direction of the Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field and Cross Country, J.J. Clark, and assistant coaches Ricardo Santos and Addy Royal, the Cardinal men and women rank inside the top 30 of the USTFCCCA NCAA DI National Cross Country Coaches Poll.Â
Having finished sixth at the NCAA Championships a season ago, the Stanford women rank ninth overall in the national poll while looking to defend their West Region title as the preseason No. 2 in the region. On the men’s side, Stanford enters the rankings at 27th overall after just missing the NCAA Championship race a season ago. The Cardinal men slot in ninth in the West Region after a sixth-place outing in 2025.Â
Stanford, which finished seventh on the men’s side and fourth in the women’s race at the ACC Championships a season ago, was picked to finish seventh on the men’s side and fourth on the women’s side. Syracuse and Wake Forest lead the men’s side on points (269) with the Orange taking six first-place votes. Notre Dame follows in third while Virginia and Louisville follow in tow, slotted fourth and fifth, respectively. On the women’s side, last season’s NCAA Champion NC State is slotted first overall, garnering all 18 first-place votes. Notre Dame (305) follows the Wolfpack while North Carolina slots just ahead of the Cardinal by one point.Â
Stanford opens its season at the 32nd annual USF Invite at Hellman Hollow in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. The men’s eight-kilometer race kicks off the season at 2:30 p.m. followed by the women’s six-kilometer at 3:30 p.m.