HELANA — Defending Frontier Conference champion Rocky Mountain College was selected as the favorite to repeat in the league's 2026 men’s preseason cross country coaches’ poll.
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team in the preseason poll.
The Battlin’ Bears collected six first-place votes and 92 points to claim the top spot in the 11-team preseason poll. RMC edged Carroll (Mont.), which received three first-place votes and 91 points.
Rocky Mountain captured the 2025 Frontier Conference championship at Amend Park in Billings, Mont., ending Carroll’s run of four consecutive conference titles. The Battlin’ Bears scored 38 points in last year’s championship, placing five runners among the top 13 scoring positions.
Carroll finished runner-up with 50 points in last year’s conference meet. The Fighting Saints placed four runners among the top 14 scoring positions.
RMC and CC qualified for the NAIA national meet last season, with the Battlin’ Bears finishing fourth and Saints 16th.
Dakota State (S.D.) was picked third in the 2026 preseason poll with 77 points, just one point ahead of Bellevue (Neb.) with 76 points.
Montana Tech was selected fifth in this year’s preseason poll with 68 points. Bismarck State followed in sixth with 54 points, while Dickinson State (N.D.) was seventh with 53 points.
Valley City State (N.D.) was picked eighth with 32 points. MSU-Northern and Montana Western tied for ninth with 25 points apiece, while Providence (Mont.) rounded out the poll in 11th with 12 points.
2026 men's cross country poll
1. Rocky Mountain - 92 (6)
2. Carroll - 91 (3)
3. Dakota State (S.D.) - 77
4. Bellevue (Neb.) - 76
5. Montana Tech - 68
6. Bismarck State - 54
7. Dickinson State - 53
8. Valley City State (N.D.) - 32
T9. MSU-Northern - 25
T9. Montana Western - 25
10. Providence - 12
Meanwhile, defending Frontier champion Carroll College was tabbed as the favorite in the women's poll.
The Fighting Saints collected nine first-place votes and totaled 100 points to take the top spot in the 11-team preseason poll. Montana Tech received the other first-place vote and finished second with 91 points.
Carroll enters the 2026 season after capturing its fifth Frontier championship in the past six years. The Fighting Saints won the 2025 conference title at Amend Park in Billings, scoring 58 points in the 6K race. Carroll placed four runners consecutively from ninth through 12th and its fifth scoring runner finished 16th.
Montana Tech finished seven points behind Carroll with 65 points to claim runner-up honors in last year’s conference championship.
Carroll placed 20th, while Montana Tech finished 23rd in last year’s NAIA Women’s Cross Country National Championship.
Dakota State (S.D.) was selected third with 74 points, followed closely by Rocky Mountain (Mont.) in fourth with 71 points. Bellevue (Neb.) rounded out the top five with 65 points.
Bismarck State (N.D.) was sixth in the 2026 preseason poll with 61 points. Dickinson State (N.D.) followed in seventh with 41 points, while Montana Western was eighth with 34 points and Valley City State (N.D.) ninth with 32 points.
MSU-Northern and Providence tied for 10th with 18 points apiece.
2026 women's cross country poll
1. Carroll - 100 (9)
2. Montana Tech - 91 (1)
3. Dakota State (S.D.) - 74
4. Rocky Mountain - 71
5. Bellevue (Neb.) - 65
6. Bismarck State - 61
7. Dickinson State - 41
8. Montana Western - 34
9. Valley City State (N.D.) - 32
T10. MSU-Northern - 18
T10. Providence - 18
The Frontier Conference Cross Country Championships will return to Amend Park in Billings, hosted by Rocky Mountain. The conference meet will be held on Friday, Nov. 6.
The team winner receives the Frontier Conference’s automatic bid to the NAIA Cross Country National Championships at Fort Vancouver Historic Site in Vancouver, Wash., on Friday, Nov. 20.
