NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. – For the third year running, it was Rose-Hulman topping the podium in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Men’s Cross Country Championship. The Fightin’ Engineers picked up 31 points in their trek to the title.

2026 HCAC Men’s and Women's Cross Country Championship Page
2026 Championship Results

The Fightin’ Engineers were led by Wyatt Starkie who clocked in at 25:44.7, which was good for fourth place.

The four other scorers for RHIT were also top-10 finishers with Brayden Gebhard placing fifth and 2026 Newcomer of the Year Kole Steele coming in sixth. Chase Delaney was next in seventh, while their final scorer, Ben Tuckis placed ninth.

The performance helped head coach Derick Lawrence earn Coach of the Year honors.

Manchester finished second in at the meet with 47 points. They were led by Austin Johnson who was the first one across the finish line with a time of 24:57.7, claiming Runner of the Year honors.

Hanover and Franklin were separated by the smallest possible margin with the Panthers placing third with 97 points compared to the Grizzlies 98. Anderson closed out the top-five with a 161 points.

Mount St. Joseph (169 points), Berea (173), Bluffton (188), and Earlham (287) wrapped up this year’s standings. Runner of the Year: Austin Johnson, Manchester
Newcomer of the Year: Kole Steele, Rose-Hulman
Coach of the Year: Derick Lawrence, Rose-Hulman

TEAM RESULTS
1. Rose-Hulman - 31
2. Manchester - 47
3. Hanover - 97
4. Franklin - 98
5. Anderson - 161
6. Mount St. Joseph - 169
7. Berea - 173
8. Bluffton - 188
9. Earlham - 287

ALL-CONFERENCE
1. Austin Johnson, Manchester - 24:57.7
2. Darius Osborn, Manchester - 25:36.3
3. William Hirsch, Franklin - 25:40.3
4. Wyatt Starkie, Rose-Hulman - 25:44.7
5. Brayden Gebhard, Rose-Hulman - 25:46.2
6. Kole Steele, Rose-Hulman - 25:50.8
7. Chase Delaney, Rose-Hulman - 25:53.4
8. Jonah Miller, Manchester - 25:54.1
9. Ben Tuckis, Rose-Hulman - 26:01.6
10. Chris Lynn, Rose-Hulman - 26:04.1
11. Grayson Rorick, Rose-Hulman - 26:08.0
12. Johnnie Behrends, Anderson - 26:09.6
13. Morgan Stratton, Rose-Hulman - 26:16.2
14. Colin Kistler, Hanover - 26:16.9

HONORABLE MENTION
15. Charlie Baker, Manchester - 26:17.4
16. John Gries, Rose-Hulman - 26:21.6
17. Desire Itwitaho, Berea - 26:22.5
18. Kade Schweikhardt, Rose-Hulman - 26:24.0
19. Cole Stevens, Rose-Hulman - 26:25.0
20. Cooper Moore, Rose-Hulman - 26:25.8
21. Chase Collins, Rose-Hulman - 26:36.4 


For more information on HCAC Cross Country, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the HCAC's home on the internet at www.heartlandconf.org. Be sure to stay up to date on all of your Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference news by following @HCACDIII on Twitter and by liking the "HCAC DIII" Facebook page.