MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Washington University Cross Country program swept the 2026 GNAC Championships with the men's and women's team winning the team title for the fifth consecutive season on Saturday at Ash Creek Preserve.

 

WWU showed great team depth to secure the victories, with the men featuring five runners in the top 10 to earn All-GNAC honors and the women racing as a pack with two in the top 10 and five in the top 15.

 

Junior George Fernandez won the men's 8K in a time of 23:37.5 to finish just in front of senior teammate Jared Alderfer and senior Ella Edens earned a convincing victory in the women's 6K with a time of 20:08.7 to make it a Viking individual sweep for just the second time in program history at the GNAC Championships and first since 2002. Additional award winners included Eli Williams winning the Men's GNAC Elite Scholar Award and Rowan Jung being selected the Freshman of the Year.

 

Here is a look at the final team scoring from the 2026 GNAC Cross Country Championships:

 

 

Junior George Fernandez edged senior teammate Jared Alderfer at the finish to become the fourth Viking, and third in the last four years, to claim the GNAC individual title. Fernandez completed the 8K course in a personal-best time of 23:37.5, with Alderfer right behind him in 23:39.6. Fernandez joins Vikings Jeret Gillingham (2024), Kevin McDermott (2023) and Paul Kezes (2002) as individual GNAC medalists at the conference cross country championships.

 

WWU recorded a team score of 25.0 with all five scoring runners finishing in the top 10 to secure All-GNAC honors. Junior Spencer Zeljak (5th, 23:52.8), junior Sten Brakstad (7th, 24:03.4) and junior Luke Reiss (10th, 24:13.0) helped pace the Vikings to their fifth consecutive GNAC title and 10th overall in program history.

 

Here is a look at the men's results from the 8K at the 2026 GNAC Championships:

 

 

Led by a winning performance from senior Ella Edens, the Vikings had all five scoring runners in the top 15 to claim the team title. WWU recorded a team score of 44.0 to edge Central Washington by seven points to win its fifth consecutive title. Edens raced to a time of 20:08.7 for her third victory of the season, adding the GNAC title winning performances at the Bill Roe Classic and Lake Padden WWU Invitational.

 

Senior Josephine Stevenson placed sixth in 21:35.7 to claim All-GNAC honors, and Jill Philbin (11th), Kendall Carter (12th) and Danielle McLain (14th) ran in a tight pack to pick up key points to earn the team title.

 

Here is a look at the women's results from the 6K at the 2026 GNAC Championships:

 

 

The Vikings have swept the GNAC titles in each of the last five seasons with the WWU men and women winning in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. Dating back to 2019, Western has swept the GNAC Cross Country Championships six times. 

 

The Vikings swept the team titles at the 2026 GNAC Cross Country Championships, marking the fifth consecutive season to win the men's and women's titles. The Western track & field and cross country program has a current string of 22 consecutive team titlesacross men's and women's dating back to the 2023 outdoor championships.

 

 

Here are some of the details about the 2026 GNAC Championships that was held Saturday in Monmouth, Oregon, hosted by the GNAC and Western Oregon University:

 

·         What: 2026 GNAC Cross Country Championships

·         Team Champions: WWU (Men), WWU (Women)

·         Individual Champions: George Fernandez, WWU (Men), Ella Edens, WWU (Women)

·         When: Saturday, November 7

·         Where: Ash Creek Preserve – Monmouth, OR

·         History: Get updated on the full history of the previous 24 GNAC XC Championships

 

Here is a look at how the Vikings have finished at the GNAC Cross Country Championships, with a detailed history of the event available online at GNACSports.com. The WWU men have won 10 titles (2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026) and recorded nine runner-up finishes, while the women have won six titles (2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026) and have four runner-up finishes.

 

 

Following the GNAC Championships, the Vikings continue their goal of reaching the NCAA Division II National Championships December 4 in Lawrence, Kansas at Rim Rock Farm. The West Regional Championships will be held Saturday, November 21 on the Arcade Creek XC Course in Sacramento, California.  The complete 2026 WWU Cross Country schedule can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/XC.

 

Both the WWU men's and women's cross country programs hold regional and national rankings in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) polls.

 

• WWU Men: No. 2 in West Region, No. 10 in NCAA II
• WWU Women: No. 4 in West Region, No. 23 in NCAA II

 

The 2026 WWU cross country schedule features four regular-season meets, followed by the GNAC Championships, NCAA II West Regional and the NCAA II Championships. Start times for all meets will be posted online at WWUVikings.com/XC when they are finalized.