Burnsville, Minn. – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference released its 2026 Men's Cross Country Preseason on Wednesday. The University of Jamestown was selected to finish 10th in a 15-team field. 

2026 NSIC Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll 

The Jimmie men finished 10th at the NSIC Championship last season—the same position they were picked to finish this year. Jamestown exceeded preseason expectations after being selected in a tie for 12th in the 2025 NSIC preseason poll. 

"This team is hungry and has been training at a higher level than in any of the previous years that I've been here," said Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Jarvis Jelen. "We are now a bit older, more mature, and much more prepared to handle 8K/10K races. The guys are excited to pack up and have a great year as a team!" 

Junior Clark Lortscher was selected as the Athlete to Watch for the Jimmies. Lortscher redshirted in 2025, but in 2024, he was one of the top finishers for UJ. The Sioux Falls, S.D., native has a career-best time of 26:48.4 on an 8K course and finished 10th at the 2024 North Star Athletic Association Cross Country Championships with a time of 27:10.8. 

"Clark has been putting in the work in training and doing everything he can to help move our team culture forward for multiple years," said Jelen. "He is coming off a redshirt year last year in XC, has been training at a high level, and is ready to make an impact in the conference!" 

The Jimmies will kick off the season on Friday, September 4, at the Augustana Twilight Meet.