SCHEDULE RELEASE 
 
INCOMING CLASS RELEASE
 
PORTLAND, Ore.—Lewis & Clark College cross country kicks off their 2026 season Friday morning at Milo McIver State Park, when they host the Lewis & Clark XC Opener. The men's race will commence at 10 a.m. and the women will start at 10:30 a.m. 
 
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLLS
 
After finishing in the top-four in the Northwest Conference for a sixth-straight season, men's cross country was tabbed to place fourth in the NWC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The River Otters garnered 44 points to narrowly finish behind third-place Willamette University (48). 2025 NWC Champions George Fox University (64 points) and runner-ups Whitworth University (57) placed first and second in the poll. The Bruins have won seven-consecutive NWC Titles and won last year's NWC Championship Meet with a team score of 37 points. Whitworth placed second for a second-straight year with 77 points to edge Willamette (92) and Lewis & Clark (102). George Fox claimed eight of the nine first-place votes and Whitworth received the final first-place vote. 
 
Women's cross country was selected to finish in seventh place. The River Otters racked up 25 points to finish just behind Pacific University (38), Whitman College (33) and Willamette (31). Women's cross country placed sixth out of eighth teams at last year's NWC Championship with 150 points as a team. George Fox was selected to finish first after taking home their fifth-straight NWC Title last Fall. The Bruins recorded 63 points and seven first-place votes. NWC runner-ups Whitworth University (58, two first-place votes), University of Puget Sound (46) and Pacific (38) rounded out the top-four teams in the poll. 
 
KEY RETURNERS 
 
Men's cross country returns the core of their team that has posted back-to-back fourth-place finishes at the NWC Championship Meet. Seniors Sam Garcia, Quinn Higgins, Evan Markelz and Emil Miller will look to lead the men's team that is made up of eight seniors, one junior and seven underclassmen. 
 
Last Fall, Higgins (eighth) and Garcia (ninth) each earned their first career NWC All-Conference honors thanks to top-10 finishes at the NWC Championship Meet. Higgins was the team's top runner throughout the Fall season and notched four top-10 finishes across seven meets. Garcia stayed healthy for an entire cross country season for the first time in his career and placed second on the team in six of his seven races. Miller (25^th) and Markelz (27^th) finished third and fourth on the team at NWCs. Miller put together a career year as a junior as he notched his best-ever finish at an NWC Cross Country Championship and went on to post 12 PRs during the track & field season. The Yakima, Washington native notched his first two career All-Conference honors in track & field when he placed second in the 3,000M Steeplechase and sixth in the 5,000M. Markelz, who struggled with injuries last Fall, bounced back with the best track season of his career. He won his first career NWC Title (5,000M) and placed third in the 10K. Markelz was the team's top runner in his first two cross country seasons and earned All-Conference and All-Region accolades as a first year and sophomore 
 
The big question for men's cross country will be: who will fill the fifth and final scoring spot? Junior AJ Gibbs, seniors Gavin Sellers and Jordan Wu and sophomore Knox Orchard have all competed at the conference championship meet in their careers and the team added a talented group of five first-years. Last season, Gibbs finished fourth on the team at the NCAA DIII Regional Championship Meet and seventh at NWCs. 
 
Women's cross country will debut a new-look lineup in 2026. They bring back just seven runners from the 2025 team and only five of the 10 runners who competed at the NWC Championship Meet. In the last two seasons, Lewis & Clark has graduated three of the 16-fastest women in program history and seven women who helped the team post back-to-back top-10 finishes at Regionals in 2023 and 2024. 
 
This year's group of returners will be led by juniors Talia Tomhave and Maeva Conroy and senior Nadia Cota. The trio all placed in the top-six on the team at NWCs and Regionals last Fall. Tomhave has crossed the line in the top-101 at Regionals in each of her first two seasons and has finished in the scoring lineup in 13 of her 14 career races. Cota put together a career-best season as a junior. She placed first amongst all-returners and fourth on the River Otters at last year's NWC Championship Meet with a career-best 45^th-place finish. Conroy, who missed most of her first season due to injury, put together a breakout season of her own. She placed sixth on the team at both NWCs and Regionals and was a member of the scoring lineup in three meets. 
 
Women's cross country will rely on senior Melissa Zurla and sophomores Katherine Scannell and Tesla Curtis to provide scoring depth and leadership to their five-woman incoming class. The River Otters could see multiple newcomers be a part of their top-five with first years Zoe Benton and Ava Stewart and sophomore Eva Marley-Jester likely to be in the mix. 
 
THREE THINGS TO KNOW 

1. Cross country has sent at least one student-athlete to the NCAA DIII National Championship Meet in each of the last six seasons. Last Fall, senior Malia Heien earned a trip to South Carolina – marking her third-straight appearance at Nationals. Markelz is the lone runner on this year's roster to have made it to Nationals before. He placed 138^th at the 2024 NCAA DIII National Championship Meet in Terra Haute, Indiana. This year's National Championship Meet will be hosted by Carleton University in Northfield, Minnesota. 
2. Men's cross country is aiming to win their first NWC Championship in 52 years. Lewis & Clark won six of the first 12 NWC titles in cross country but have not hoisted the title since 1974. The program has finished second in the NWC in 1977, 1978, 1980, 2000, 2001, 2012 and 2023. This year's team included three runners who have finished inside the top-10 at an NWC Championship Meet and a fourth in Miller who has made big improvements every collegiate season.
3. At least one cross country runner on both sides has finished in the top-10 at NWCs in each of the past six years. The women's team currently owns a streak of six-straight years with a top-10 finish – including Riley Buese's ('2025) back-to-back NWC Titles in 2023 and 2024. Men's cross country has had a top-10 finisher in nine-straight seasons dating back to the 2016 campaign.