GENEVA, Ill. (naccsports.org) --- Milwaukee School of Engineering placed all seven of its scoring runners in the top 15 to capture the men's team title Saturday at the 2026 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Cross Country Championships at the Settler's Hill Cross Country Course.
The Raiders accumulated 26 points to win the title for the sixth consecutive season, and the ninth time overall.
St. Norbert College landed four in the top 15 and finished second with 52 points, while Wisconsin Lutheran College took third with 68 points. Concordia University Wisconsin took fourth with 119 points ahead of Concordia University Chicago with 144 points. Rockford University (205) held off Dominican University (210), Aurora University (220), and Illinois Institute of Technology (223) for sixth place. Benedictine University, Edgewood University, and Marian University sent competitors to the championships but did not record team scores.
MSOE senior Sam McPeak won the individual title with a time of 25:05.3. He was near the front of a tight lead pack after the first mile. At that point, he and Concordia Wisconsin's Isaiah Lubner broke out from the pack. The pair held a six-second lead at the 4.5-kilometer mark. McPeak then used the final 3.5 kilometers to put some serious distance between himself and the field, while Lubner fell back into the clutches of a charging Nolan Pinion of MSOE.
McPeak stopped the clock first, giving MSOE its fifth individual champion - and third in five years - while denying 2025 NACC champion Lubner a repeat. Pinion (25:19.6) came home second, followed by Lubner (25:25.7).
St. Norbert College's Kyan Lynts - the 2025 NACC Freshman of the Year - took fourth (25:44.3), just ahead of teammate Lawrence Huffman (25:48.4) and MSOE's Zach Zuzzio (25:48.7).
MSOE's Gongola Named NACC Freshman of the Year
MSOE's Ethan Gongola was named NACC Freshman of the Year as the top true freshman finisher in the field. Gongola placed 16th in a time of 26:47.20. Gongola is the seventh MSOE runner to be named NACC Freshman of the Year and the fifth in six years.
MSOE Named NACC Coaching Staff of the Year
After the meet, the league's coaches recognized Milwaukee School of Engineering as the NACC Men's Cross Country Coaching Staff of the Year. It is the sixth straight honor for the Raiders and ninth-year head coach Bill Massoels, the eighth in nine years for Massoels or a Massoels-led staff, and the 10th overall for an MSOE coach or staff.
Top 15 Runners Named All-Conference
The top 15 runners at the championships earn All-Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference honors. MSOE placed its entire scoring seven inside the top-15, while St. Norbert finished with four all-NACC runners and Wisconsin Lutheran had two. The final two all-conference honors were split between Concordia Wisconsin and Edgewood.
Saturday's meet marks the conclusion of the regular season for most NACC programs. A handful of programs are currently slated to send runners to meets at North Central (Ill.) (Aurora, Benedictine) and UW-Oshkosh (Marian, St. Norbert), the focus for most programs now shifts to NCAA regional meets slated for Saturday, Nov. 14. The six Illinois-based NACC programs will compete in the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional at Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island, Illinois, while the six Wisconsin-based NACC programs will compete in the NCAA Division III North Regional at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.
The 2026 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships are slated for Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Bill Huyck Championship Cross Country Course on the campus of Carleton College, also in Northfield, Minnesota.
NACC Cross Country Championships
October 31, 2026
All-Conference
Place Score Bib No Name Team Time Pace Grade
1 1 2006 Samuel McPeak MSOE 25:05.30 3:08/K SR
2 2 2008 Nolan Pinion MSOE 25:19.60 3:10/K JR
3 3 1302 Isaiah Lubner Concordia (Wis.) 25:25.70 3:11/K SR
4 4 2034 Kyan Lynts St. Norbert 25:44.30 3:13/K SO
5 5 2032 Lawrence Huffman St. Norbert 25:48.40 3:14/K SR
6 6 2014 Zach Zuzzio MSOE 25:48.70 3:14/K JR
7 7 2012 Austin Springer MSOE 26:00.60 3:15/K JR
8 8 3466 Arnold Rupnow Wisconsin Lutheran 26:02.30 3:15/K SR
9 9 3467 Caleb Schreiber Wisconsin Lutheran 26:06.00 3:16/K SO
10 10 2001 Jackson Braun MSOE 26:06.20 3:16/K SR
11 11 2033 Christian Lopez St. Norbert 26:16.70 3:17/K SR
12 (< 5) 1328 Tyler Mueller Edgewood 26:21.30 3:18/K SR
13 12 2011 Lucas Skupien MSOE 26:23.70 3:18/K SO
14 13 2007 Chase Nogalski MSOE 26:29.30 3:19/K SR
15 14 3455 Jacob Wellons St. Norbert 26:40.30 3:20/K SO