BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) has unveiled its preseason coaches' polls for men's and women's cross country. Senior Katelyn Kennedy and fifth-year Chase Hoechst were selected as MSUM's preseason 'athletes to watch'.

The Dragon women were picked to finish 10^th in the preseason coaches' poll behind 96 points. Winona State earned the top position in the women's poll with 219 points and 11 first-place votes. Minnesota State (1), Augustana (3) and Mary (1) earned first-place votes as well. 

"What excites me most is the mix we have this year. We have experienced returners who know what it takes to compete at the NSIC level, and then you add a transfer like Ava Dunnigan, who's coming in with exceptional talent, and it just raises the level for everybody," said head coach Ryan Milner when speaking on his 2026 women's squad. "When you combine that with consistency and team-first mentality this group already has, I think we're going to see some strong performances throughout the season."

Kennedy, a senior from Brainerd, Minn., earns MSUM's 'preseason athlete to watch' honor following a strong junior campaign. The senior was Moorhead's top finisher at the NSIC Cross Country Championships with a 6k season best time of 23:07.8. Kennedy was also the top Dragon at the NCAA Central Region Championships. The senior marked the 11^th-fastest 5k in program history at last season's Dragon Twilight, finishing at 18:47.2.

"Katelyn's our top returner this season and preseason athlete to watch. She had her best-ever finish at the NSIC Championships in cross country last fall, then in the spring earned All-NSIC honors in the 1500m outdoors," said Milner of Kennedy. "She's put together a great 2025-26 campaign, and I'm expecting her to set the tone for our women's team in 2026."

On the men's side, Moorhead was selected to finish second in the league, earning 182 points and a first-place vote. Augustana topped the men's poll with 196 points and the remaining 14 first-place nods. 

"Our men's team is poised for a strong 2026 campaign. We have the returning NSIC Champion, Jared Gregoire back, along with most of our 2025 roster returning," said Milner, who enters his 10^th season as leader of the Dragon harriers this fall. "On top of that, we're welcoming a talented group of freshmen and transfers who are ready to compete for spots in our top seven."

Hoechst is coming off a strong 2025 cross country campaign, led by an All-NSIC First Team finish. The Bismarck, N.D., product finished fourth at the conference championships a season ago, clocking a 25:11.7. Hoechst was also a USTFCCCA All-Central Region performer for the Dragons in 2025, finishing 24^th overall at the region race. He finished with a 31:24.5 10k mark, which is now the eighth-fastest in MSUM history. 

"Chase is our preseason athlete to watch for 2026. He had an exceptional 2025, earned All-NSIC honors in cross country, and he's just continued to get better from there," said Milner. "I'm expecting him to build on the 2025-26 seasons and race at an even higher level this fall."

MSUM begins the 2026 cross country campaign hosting the 11^th annual Dragon Twilight Invitational on Friday, September 4. College races are set to begin at 8:10 p.m. inside Alex Nemzek Stadium.