(BIG TEN) – The Oregon men’s cross country team claimed its second-consecutive team title at the 2026 Big Ten Cross Country Championships, hosted by University of Wisconsin at Thomas Zimmer Championship Course.
The Ducks totaled 23 points, which is tied for the fourth-lowest total at the Big Ten Championships. To do so, Oregon had six runners place in the top 10 (1-3-4-7-8). Wisconsin tallied 62 points, and Michigan State recorded 90 points to round out the podium finishers.
Simeon Birnbaum of Oregon claimed the individual title, finishing the 8K course in a time of 23:04.2. Wisconsin’s Archie Noakes claimed second, rounding out a strong effort from the Badgers on their home course.
The Badgers’ Grady Lenn (De Pere) finished 10th with a time of 23:19.1.
Oregon head coach Jerry Schumacher claimed his 13th title overall, winning his second with the Ducks after having previously won 11 titles with Wisconsin.
The top 10 finishers at the Big Ten Championships garnered first team All-Big Ten honors, while competitors in places 11-20 received second team laurels. The five highest-finishing freshmen earned a spot on the all-freshman team.
2026 Men’s Cross Country All-Big Ten Honors
First Team
Nathan Lopez, Michigan
Thomas Westphal, Michigan State
Evan Jenkins, Oregon
Aiden Smith, Oregon
Connor Burns, Oregon
Benjamin Balazs, Oregon
Simeon Birnbaum, Oregon
Tayson Echohawk, Oregon
Archie Noakes, Wisconsin
Grady Lenn, Wisconsin
WOMEN
The Oregon women’s cross country team secured the team title at the 2026 Big Ten Cross Country Championships hosted by the University of Wisconsin at Thomas Zimmer Championship Course. This marks the third season in a row the Ducks have won both the team title and individual title.
The Ducks bested runner-up Northwestern (90) and third-place finisher Penn State (92) by placing three finishers in the top five. Diana Cherotich paced Oregon with a record-breaking time of 18:56.1, beating former teammate Silan Ayyildiz’s 2024 time of 19:13.6 set in Champaign, Ill.
Cherotich, a sophomore, beat teammate Juliet Cherubet by 14 seconds to claim the individual title. Indiana freshman Katy Zang had a strong after a stellar freshman season, placing third overall with a time of 19:13.9.
Wisconsin’s top finisher was Emmerson Drobac who finished 45th with a time of 20:47.5.
The top 10 finishers at the Big Ten Championships garnered first team All-Big Ten honors, while competitors in places 11-20 received second team laurels. The five highest-finishing freshmen earned a spot on the all-freshman team.
2026 Women’s Cross Country All-Big Ten Honors
First Team
Katy Zang, Indiana
Ali Weimer, Minnesota
Isabelle Schmitz, Minnesota
Dalia Frias, Oregon
Diana Cherotich, Oregon
Juliet Cherubet, Oregon
Ali Bainbridge, Nebraska
Ava Criniti, Northwestern
Katie Clute, Northwestern
Sherry Drury, Washington
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