BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – On Tuesday, the Gulf South Conference announced its 2026 Men's Cross Country Coaches Preseason Poll and Runners To Watch, naming both Conner Patterson and Dakota Frank to the watchlist while the team ranked second.
A junior, Frank was named a 2025 NCAA All-Region honoree. He also finished ninth, individually, at the 2025 GSC Cross Country Championships and 20th at the NCAA Division II South Region Championships.
Patterson, a graduate student, closed the GSC Cross Country Championships with a career best 8k time of 24:24.7 while finishing 12th overall.
Both Frank and Patterson represented the Chargers last season at the NCAA Division II Championships, helping UAH to a 21st overall finish.
As a team, the UAH men's cross country earned the No. 2 spot on the GSC Preseason Coaches poll, including a first place vote. The Chargers earned second place at the 2025 GSC Cross Country Championships, fourth at the NCAA South Region Championships and 21st at the NCAA National Championships.
The team begins its season on Saturday, September 5, at the Memphis Twilight in Tennessee.
The full preseason poll and runners to watch list are as follows:
2026 GSC Men's Cross Country Coaches Preseason Poll
1. Lee (9), 81 points
2. UAH (1), 72 points
3. Mississippi Christian, 63 points
4. AUM, 59 points
5. Union, 44 points
6. Montevallo, 34 points
7. Christian Brothers, 33 points
8. West Alabama, 32 points
9. Trevecca Nazarene, 20 points
10. Valdosta State, 12 points
First-place votes in parentheses
2026 GSC Men's Cross Country Runners to Watch
Dakota Frank, Jr., UAH
Conner Patterson, R-Sr., UAH
Mikey Banks, Jr., AUM
JT Mathison, So., AUM
Caleb Yoder, So., AUM
Ryan Cabreira, Fr., Christian Brothers
Migual Cantarero, Fr., Christian Brothers
Pierre Chauveau, Lee
Stephen Clark, Lee
Tucker Wright, Lee
Baxter Friedman, Sr., Mississippi Christian
Matthew Singletary, Sr., Mississippi Christian
Aaron Fynnardt, Sr., Union
Johnathan Lewis, Fr., Union
Luke Winkleman, Sr., Union
Lorenzo Pelusi, So., West Alabama
Jonathan Phillips, 5th, West Alabama
