CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The NC State women have been selected as the 2026 Atlantic Coast Conference Cross Country preseason favorites, while the Syracuse and Wake Forest men begin the season as co-favorites following a vote of the ACC’s 18 head coaches.
NC State claimed the top spot in the ACC women’s cross country preseason poll, totaling 324 points and a unanimous 18 first-place votes. The defending national champions finished 19 points ahead of Notre Dame, who earned 305 points. North Carolina rounded out the top three of the preseason poll, earning 271 points.
Stanford was picked fourth in the preseason poll after totaling 270 points, ahead of fifth-place Virginia, who logged 253 points. Duke earned sixth place in the projections with 219 points, while Boston College totaled 206 points for a seventh-place prediction. Wake Forest was picked eighth with 203 total points, while Virginia Tech and Clemson rounded out the top 10, with 191 and 169 points, respectively.
Florida State was slotted in 11th place in the preseason poll, earning 136 total points. Louisville was picked 12th, totaling 131 points, while Syracuse earned 124 points, finishing 13th in the poll. SMU was picked 14th, while California was ranked 15th, garnering 91 and 64 points, respectively. Pitt earned the 16th-place finish in the poll with 55 points, while Georgia Tech finished 17th with 47 points, and Miami closed the poll at 18th, logging 19 points.
2026 ACC Women’s Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll
1 – NC State, 324 (18 first-place votes)
2 – Notre Dame, 305
3 – North Carolina, 271
4 – Stanford, 270
5 – Virginia, 253
6 – Duke, 219
7 – Boston College, 206
8 – Wake Forest, 203
9 – Virginia Tech, 191
10 – Clemson, 169
11 – Florida State, 136
12 – Louisville, 131
13 – Syracuse, 124
14 – SMU, 91
15 – California, 64
16 – Pitt, 55
17 – Georgia Tech, 47
18 – Miami, 19
On the men’s side, Syracuse earned six of the 17 possible first-place votes, while Wake Forest garnered five first-place votes to each finish with 269 points, sharing the top spot in the ACC preseason coaches’ poll. Notre Dame was slotted third in the preseason poll, totaling 234 points. Virginia narrowly edged past Louisville for the fourth spot in the poll, totaling 216 points and three first-place votes. The Cardinals finished two points behind the Cavaliers, totaling 214 and one first-place vote.
Virginia Tech finished in sixth place with 210 points and one first-place vote, while Stanford earned 209 points and a seventh-place projection. North Carolina was picked eighth after earning the final first-place vote and finishing with 206 points. The Tar Heels were picked just ahead of Duke and NC State, who were slotted in ninth- and 10th-places with 152 and 133 points, respectively.
Florida State finished 11th in the poll with 108 points, while Pitt’s 107 points were good for 12th. Georgia Tech followed with 81 points to finish 13th, while Boston College edged California for 14th-place with 74 points. The Golden Bears’ 65 points slotted them in 15th-place. Clemson finished 16th with 42 points, while Miami rounded out the preseason poll, earning 18 points.
2026 ACC Men’s Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll
T1 – Syracuse, 269 (6 first-place votes)
T1 – Wake Forest, 269 (5 first-place votes)
3 – Notre Dame, 234
4 – Virginia, 216 (3 first-place votes)
5 – Louisville, 214 (1 first-place vote)
6 – Virginia Tech, 210 (1 first-place vote)
7 – Stanford, 209
8 – North Carolina, 206 (1 first-place vote)
9 – Duke, 152
10 – NC State, 133
11 – Florida State, 108
12 – Pitt, 107
13 – Georgia Tech, 81
14 – Clemson, 68
15 – Boston College, 65
16 – California, 42
17 – Miami, 18