Florida Southern College men’s cross country opened the 2026 season ranked No. 21 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll. It is the program’s highest season-opening ranking since 2006, when the Moccasins opened at No. 19.
Florida Southern College also began the season ranked No. 2 in the South Region, behind Lee University. The Moccasins opened with a team victory at the Uncle Nick’s Swan City Bagel Run, where Eli Zuppa was the top collegiate finisher and Florida Southern College recorded a perfect team score.
Zuppa, Cole Summers and Andrew Nyland returned as All-Region athletes. Summers and Zuppa earned All-Sunshine State Conference honors in 2025, while Nyland was named the USTFCCCA M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week on Oct. 20, 2025.
Florida Southern College won its third consecutive Sunshine State Conference title in 2025. Michael Toppi, Parker Graham and Thomas McCarthy also finished in the top 10 at the Uncle Nick’s Swan City Bagel Run, giving head coach Matt Levassiur and assistant coach Ellie Fluman additional depth. The team was ranked as high as No. 15 in the previous year’s cross country poll.
Florida Southern College men’s cross country schedule
- Uncle Nick’s Swan City Bagel Run — Sept. 5, 2026, at 7:25 a.m.
- 27th FLRunners.com Invitational — Date not provided.
- FSU Invite — Sept. 18, 2026, at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla.
- Sunshine State Conference Championship — Date and location not provided.
- NCAA South Region Championship — Date and location not provided.
- NCAA National Championship — Date and location not provided.
Florida Southern College men’s cross country is scheduled to compete next at the FSU Invite on Sept. 18 at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla.
Source: Original report