LANCASTER, PA – Following a championship four-peat and its sixth overall Centennial Conference title in 2025, the Johns Hopkins men's cross country program has been selected as the preseason favorite to capture the conference crown. The Blue Jays received all eight possible first-place votes in the preseason poll, announced by the league on Wednesday.
Winners of five of the last six Centennial Conference titles, Hopkins enters the 2026 season seeking to become just the second program in conference history to win five consecutive championships.
Leading the way for the Blue Jays is sophomore standout
Anthony Clark, who finished as the Centennial Conference runner-up last season while earning Rookie of the Year and USTFCCCA All-America honors. Clark, who was the fastest freshman at the 2025 NCAA Cross Country Championships, returns alongside a strong core of veterans, including 2025 First Team All-Centennial Conference selections
Kenny Wanlass,
Olaf Dietz and
Brady Ott. Wanlass captured the 2025 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional title, while Ott was named the Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year in 2024.
Caleb Tenney and
Nash Minor round out a deep returning group that will be bolstered by a talented incoming freshman class.
After securing its fourth consecutive top-14 finish at the 2025 NCAA Championships, Hopkins will look to build on its success in 2026. Head coach
Bobby Van Allen and the Blue Jays open the season on September 1 in a joint meet featuring the University of Maryland, Catholic University and Johns Hopkins.
2026 Centennial Conference Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll
1. Johns Hopkins (8) – 64
2. Haverford (1) – 56
3. Swarthmore – 48
4. Dickinson – 46
5. Gettysburg – 33
6. Ursinus – 32
7. Franklin & Marshall – 22
8. Muhlenberg – 14
9. McDaniel - 9
