NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) will crown its 2026 women's cross country champion on Saturday.
The 2026 MIAC Cross Country Championships will officially get underway with the 12-team women's six-kilometer race at 11 a.m. The 11-team men's eight-kilometer conference championship race is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
Championship 101
Since 1981, five different schools have won MIAC women's cross country championships, including Carleton, which took home the 14th title in program history last fall. St. Thomas holds the MIAC record with 17 total team titles, including the first nine from 1981-89. Carleton ranks second all-time with 14 team championships, followed by St. Olaf with 11.
St. Thomas has had the most individual champions with 10, while Carleton has eight, St. Olaf has six, and Bethel, Macalester, and Saint Benedict have each had five race winners.
Handing Out the Hardware
Once the results of the 2026 MIAC Cross Country Championship are tabulated and deemed final, a short awards ceremony for both women's and men's races will follow around 1:00 p.m. The top 15 runners in each race will be honored with All-Conference distinction, while runners finishing in places 16-to-25 will be named Honorable Mention. The championship team will also be honored with the presentation of the MIAC Championship trophy.
Individual awards for Athlete, Rookie, and Coach of the Year will be formally announced on Thursday, November 5.
Championship Apparel
Official championship apparel is available for online purchase via the MIAC Shop powered by UNRestricted MKTG. The online MIAC Shop features officially licensed short-sleeve t-shirts, long-sleeve t-shirts, and hooded sweatshirts to commemorate the 2026 conference championship meet. The items available in this store are custom-decorated. Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery. All apparel items are online-only, custom-made, and all sales are final. There will not be physical apparel sales at the championship meet.
Team champion apparel will be added and available for online purchase shortly after the meet.
Follow the Action
Those traveling to St. Olaf should be advised that parking is limited and will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Spectators are encouraged to arrive early, park in the Skoglund/Tostrud lots, and walk over to the course.
Bicycles and non-service animals are strictly prohibited at the course. Please leave bikes and pets at home.
Fans who are not traveling to Northfield will have access to unofficial results soon after the action concludes courtesy of Hero's Timing.
The MIAC has a championship home page for the event that will serve as the online home of the meet. The championship page will include results and recaps as they become available.
| Championship Home Page | Top Times | Course Map | Parking | Unofficial Meet Results | Apparel |
In the Polls
All-Conference Returners
Nine of the top 15 runners from the 2025 MIAC Championships have competed again this fall, including Saint Mary's junior Mya Slavin (4th), Macalester senior Ingrid Norquist (6th), St. Scholastica senior Regan Niemi (8th), Carleton sophomore Lauren Tittel (9th), Macalester junior Kate Fox (10th), Carleton sophomore Amelia Campbell (11th), St. Olaf junior Abi Lindquist (12th), Gustavus sophomore Addison Enfield (14th), and Carleton sophomore Nicole Peterson (15th).
Around the MIAC
- Augsburg junior Alwena Brix (Plouay, France / Lycée Jean Mace, Rennes) claimed a one-minute improvement on her previous personal-best time with a 24:52.3 at the CSB+SJU Autumn Classic on 10/17. Brix finished 49th in the 142-runner field.
- Bethel first-year Hannah Barberg (Detroit Lakes, Minn. / Detroit Lakes) paced the Royals with a career-best 23:21.0 at the Augustana Interregional on 10/17. Barberg has placed among the top 50 in all four of her collegiate meets this season.
- Carleton first-year Abigail Burns (Iowa City, Iowa / Iowa City) placed eighth overall at the George Oja Invitational in Independence, Oregon, on 10/17 with a 6K time of 21:29.5. Her 6K time is the fastest in the MIAC this season and helped the Knights place second overall as a team, three points behind champion Eastern Washington of NCAA Division I.
- Concordia junior Ashley Nelson (Rice, Minn. / Sartell) finished 19th overall at the Augustana Interregional on 10/17 with a personal best time of 22:51.6. Nelson has been a top-20 finisher at all four of her meets this season.
- Gustavus sophomore Addison Enfield (Northfield, Minn. / Northfield) won the Legends Invitational on 10/10 with a 4K time of 15:03.9. Enfield outpaced 11 Division I athletes and 20 men's runners on the course. She has finished in the top 15 four times and the top five twice this season.
- Hamline senior Anabel Bradley (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / John F. Kennedy) ran a collegiate-best 6K time of 23:59.3 at the CSB+SJU Autumn Classic on 10/17. Bradley finished 27th in a field of 142 runners at the meet.
- Macalester senior Ingrid Norquist (Minneapolis, Minn. / Anoka) finished 10th in the Navy Championship race at Carleton's pre-nationals Running of the Cows meet on 10/3. Norquist covered the 6K course in 21:44.3, securing the fastest 6K time in the MIAC this season.
- Saint Benedict first-year Sophia Wolf (Spokane, Wash. / Lewis and Clark) has led the Bennies in each of their past two meets, including with a 19th-place finish in a personal-best time of 23:38.4 at the 2026 CSB+SJU Autumn Classic on 10/17. It was the first top-20 finish of her collegiate career.
- St. Catherine sophomore Eleanor Lindeman (St. Louis Park, Minn. / St. Louis Park) led the Wildcats to a team title at the Mount Mary Women's College Classic on 10/9 with a personal record and 5K-winning time of 18:28.6. Lindeman finished with a 40-second margin of victory and the fastest 5K time in the conference this season.
- Saint Mary's junior Mya Slavin (St. Charles, Minn. / St. Charles) placed ninth overall at the Augustana Interregional on 10/17 with a time of 22:30.4. She has led the Cardinals in every meet this season.
- St. Olaf junior Louisa Lamarre (Bend, Ore. / Cascades Academy) posted the program's sixth-best 6K time at the Connecticut College Invitational on 10/17. Lamarre finished the race in 21:35.6, good for a 30-second PR.
- St. Scholastica senior Regan Niemi (Bemidji, Minn. / Bemidji) has led the Saints at every meet this season. She placed fifth overall at the Ole Opener on 9/4 with a personal-best 5K time of 19:28.8.
