Connect with us

We Speak Track And Field

NC State Women, Wake Forest Men Capture 2026 ACC Cross Country Championships

Published

1 hour ago

on

Wake Forest men's cross country team celebrates on the podium, hoisting the ACC trophy after winning the 2026 ACC Cross Country Championships in Blacksburg, Virginia

Wake Forest claimed its third Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Cross Country Championship in five years, while NC State captured its ninth ACC Women’s Cross Country Championship in the last 10 years on Friday morning at the Buford Meredith Cross Country Course in Blacksburg, Virginia.

NC State earned its 30th women’s title in program history behind individual champion Hannah Gapes, who posted a time of 18:23.8 to break the course record by 90 seconds and the ACC Championship meet record by nearly 40 seconds. Each of the first 10 runners to cross the finish line also surpassed the previous course record.

Gapes became NC State’s eighth consecutive women’s individual ACC champion. The Wolfpack placed four runners in the top 20, including Bethany Michalak (seventh), 2025 ACC champion Angelina Napoleon (14th) and Emily Wisniewski (20th), and finished with 65 points to top runner-up Clemson by 48. Clemson was led by Silvia Jelelgo (second), Judy Kosgei (fifth) and Nancy Cherop (sixth). Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Duke rounded out the top five.

On the men’s side, Wake Forest totaled 48 points to win the team title, followed by Virginia Tech and Syracuse, which tied with 94 points before the Hokies claimed runner-up honors via a head-to-head tiebreaker. Notre Dame (95) and Stanford (157) completed the top five.

Louisville’s Elsingi Kipruto became the program’s first ACC men’s individual cross country champion, winning in 22:03.5 after taking the lead during the final split. Kipruto broke the ACC Championship meet and Buford Meredith course records. The rest of the top five featured Wake Forest’s Rocky Hansen (22:10.5), Virginia Tech’s George Couttie (22:18.0), Louisville’s Nickson Kogei (22:38.4) and Wake Forest’s Aurelien Radja (22:51.2).

North Carolina’s Caden Leonard was the top men’s true freshman, placing ninth, while Clemson’s Nancy Cherop was the top women’s true freshman after finishing sixth.

Wake Forest led all teams with five All-ACC selections, followed by Clemson with four.

Team Scores

Men

  1. Wake Forest, 48 points
  2. Virginia Tech, 94*
  3. Syracuse, 94*
  4. Notre Dame, 95
  5. Stanford, 157
  6. Duke, 159
  7. North Carolina, 206
  8. Louisville, 246
  9. Virginia, 248
  10. Pitt, 264
  11. Florida State, 278
  12. NC State, 333
  13. Boston College, 364
  14. Georgia Tech, 373
  15. Clemson, 377
  16. California, 458
  17. Miami, 541

*Although tied on points, Virginia Tech won the head-to-head tiebreaker over Syracuse.

Women

  1. NC State, 65 points
  2. Clemson, 113
  3. Virginia Tech, 125
  4. North Carolina, 161
  5. Duke, 165
  6. Notre Dame, 173
  7. Virginia, 200
  8. Boston College, 214
  9. Florida State, 221
  10. Wake Forest, 267
  11. Louisville, 278
  12. Syracuse, 290
  13. SMU, 310
  14. Stanford, 313
  15. Pitt, 407
  16. California, 449
  17. Georgia Tech, 463
  18. Miami, 540

Men’s All-ACC
Finlay Ross-Davie, Duke
Kaden Levings, Florida State
Elsingi Kipruto, Louisville
Nickson Kogei, Louisville
Caden Leonard, North Carolina
Daelen Ackley, Notre Dame
Ethan Coleman, Notre Dame
Cameron Todd, Notre Dame
Paul Bergeron, Stanford
Connor Ackley, Syracuse
Connell Alford, Syracuse
Louis Small, Syracuse
Sean Gray, Virginia
George Couttie, Virginia Tech
Cameron Davis, Virginia Tech
Samuel Idiens, Virginia Tech
Bryce Gilmore, Wake Forest
Rocky Hansen, Wake Forest
JoJo Jourdon, Wake Forest
Aurelien Radja, Wake Forest
Charlie Sprott, Wake Forest

Women’s All-ACC
Imogen Gardiner, Boston College
Gladys Chepngetich, Clemson
Nancy Cherop, Clemson
Silvia Jelelgo, Clemson
Judy Kosgei, Clemson
Victoria Garces, Duke
Nancy Chepleting, Louisville
Hannah Gapes, NC State
Bethany Michalak, NC State
Angelina Napoleon, NC State
Emily Wisniewski, NC State
Mary Bonner Dalton, Notre Dame
Gretchen Farley, Notre Dame
Maureen Cheruiyot, Pitt
Rose Mburu, SMU
Julia Flynn, Stanford
Keira Rogan, Syracuse
Stella Kermes, Virginia
Katie Bohlke, Virginia Tech
Aniya Mosley, Virginia Tech
Brooke Wilson, Wake Forest

More from We Speak Media
Related Topics:
Continue Reading

We Speak Track And Field

Virginia Tech Set to Host the 2026 ACC Cross Country Championships on Friday

Published

21 hours ago

on

October 29, 2026

By

A Virginia Tech women's cross country team in maroon uniforms huddling together with their backs to the camera on a grass course under a blue sky, while a photographer in a gray shirt and black shorts takes their picture from the left.

Virginia Tech will host the 2026 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships on Friday, October 30 at the Buford Meredith Cross Country Course in Blacksburg, Virginia. The men’s 8k Championship will begin at 10 a.m. ET, followed by the women’s 6k Championship at 11 a.m. ET.

All information regarding the ACC Cross Country Championships can be found on the ACC Championship page, including the broadcast link, live results link, course maps and more.

NC State, the women’s preseason favorite and defending ACC champion, looks to claim its fourth ACC women’s title in the last five years. Notre Dame, which won the title in 2024, was voted second in the preseason poll, just 19 points behind NC State, and will look to win its second championship in the last three seasons.

Syracuse and Wake Forest began the season as co-favorites in the men’s ACC Preseason Poll. The last five championship meets have seen four different winners, with Wake Forest being the only team to claim multiple titles during this stretch. Wake Forest will look to repeat as champion.

NC State runners have won the women’s individual title for the eighth consecutive year. Angelina Napoleon looks to defend her title and continue the streak of Wolfpack winners. On the men’s side, Rocky Hansen will look to repeat as individual champion and potentially break another course record.

In the USTFCCCA Week 5 Coaches’ Poll, the ACC leads all conferences with eight women’s teams ranked in the top 30 and is tied for the most men’s teams. The women’s poll is led by No. 2 NC State, followed by No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 14 Clemson, No. 19 North Carolina, No. 20 Virginia Tech and Stanford, No. 22 Virginia and No. 24 Duke. Boston College also received votes.

Syracuse leads the men’s poll at No. 8, followed by No. 10 Wake Forest, No. 13 Stanford, No. 15 Notre Dame and No. 27 North Carolina. Virginia Tech also received votes during this week’s poll.

Noting ACC Cross Country: NC State women have won four of the last five NCAA National Championships. Six Atlantic Coast Conference women’s teams finished in the top 10 at the Under Armour Pre-Nationals. The Syracuse men placed first overall at the Pre-Nationals, with Notre Dame and North Carolina rounding out the three ACC teams in the top five. NC State’s Hannah Gapes and North Carolina’s Ciara O’Shea were each named a USTFCCCA Division I National Athlete of the Week during the season. Louisville’s Elsingi Kipruto, Wake Forest’s Rocky Hansen and Virginia Tech’s George Couttie each rank in the top 11 nationally in the FloTrack Men’s Individual Cross Country rankings. NC State’s Hannah Gapes is ranked second nationally in the FloTrack Women’s Individual Cross Country rankings.

ACC Cross Country Men’s Performer of the Week

Sept. 8 – Charles Guerrera, So., Syracuse; Roan Kelly, R-So., Virginia Tech

Sept. 15 – Connell Alford, Jr., Syracuse

Sept. 22 – Dylan DeCambre, Sr., Virginia Tech

Sept. 29 – Benne Anderson, Sr., Syracuse

Oct. 6 – Daelin Ackley, 5th, Notre Dame

Oct. 13 – Elsingi Kipruto, So., Louisville

Oct. 20 – Daelin Ackley, 5th, Notre Dame

ACC Cross Country Men’s Freshman of the Week

Sept. 8 – Robert Leonard, Fr., Virginia Tech

Sept. 15 – Caden Leonard, Fr., North Carolina

Sept. 22 – Daniel Skandera, Fr., Wake Forest

Sept. 29 – Caden Leonard, Fr., North Carolina

Oct. 6 – Noah Bontrager, Fr., Notre Dame

Oct. 13 – Sean Fries, Fr., Stanford

Oct. 20 – Caden Leonard, Fr., North Carolina

ACC Cross Country Women’s Performer of the Week

Sept. 8 – Nancy Cherop, Fr., Clemson

Sept. 15 – Ciara O’Shea, R-Jr., North Carolina; Kiera Rogan, So., Syracuse

Sept. 22 – Rylee Blade, So., Florida State

Sept. 29 – Victoria Garces, So., Duke

Oct. 6 – Hannah Gapes, 5th, NC State

Oct. 13 – Nancy Chepleting, Jr., Louisville

Oct. 20 – Hannah Gapes, 5th, NC State

ACC Cross Country Women’s Freshman of the Week

Sept. 8 – Nancy Cherop, Fr., Clemson

Sept. 15 – Chase Gilbert, Fr., Virginia

Sept. 22 – Nancy Cherop, Fr., Clemson

Sept. 29 – Sundara Weber, Fr., Duke

Oct. 6 – Brenda Jeptoo, Fr., Virginia Tech

Oct. 13 – Amaya Bharadwaj, Fr., Stanford

Oct. 20 – Nancy Cherop, Fr., Clemson

Photo: Nick Carlson / Virginia Tech Athletics

More from We Speak Media
Continue Reading

Trending