CoachReachCollege Cross Country Roster Openings 2026
Which college cross country programs are projected to lose the most players after this season, overall and at each position. Counted from the seniors and graduate students on 1,621 official rosters: an estimate to point your emails at programs that will need your position, not a promise of a spot.
Women's Cross Country: programs projected to lose the most playersProjected · estimate
| # | Program | On roster | Sr + Gr (departing) | Returning | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Lowell NCAA D1 MA | 51 | 17 | 34 | Medium |
| 2 | Michigan State NCAA D1 MI | 38 | 15 | 22 | High |
| 3 | Minnesota State University Moorhead NCAA D2 MN | 39 | 11 | 28 | Medium |
| 4 | Boston NCAA D1 MA | 19 | 11 | 8 | High |
| 5 | Wingate NCAA D2 NC | 55 | 10 | 45 | Low |
| 6 | Bucknell NCAA D1 PA | 35 | 10 | 25 | Medium |
| 7 | Bryant NCAA D1 RI | 33 | 10 | 23 | Medium |
| 8 | George Washington NCAA D1 DC | 27 | 10 | 17 | Medium |
| 9 | Cal State San Bernardino NCAA D2 CA | 25 | 10 | 15 | High |
| 10 | Johnson & Wales NCAA D3 RI | 23 | 10 | 13 | High |
| 11 | Minnesota Twin Cities NCAA D1 MN | 23 | 10 | 13 | High |
| 12 | Dordt NAIA IA | 46 | 9 | 37 | Low |
| 13 | Hope NCAA D3 MI | 39 | 9 | 30 | Medium |
| 14 | Colgate NCAA D1 NY | 31 | 9 | 22 | Medium |
| 15 | Connecticut NCAA D3 CT | 31 | 9 | 22 | Medium |
| 16 | Elon NCAA D1 NC | 21 | 9 | 12 | High |
| 17 | Concordia University Wisconsin NCAA D3 WI | 18 | 9 | 9 | High |
| 18 | Oregon State NCAA D1 OR | 17 | 9 | 8 | High |
| 19 | Rowan NCAA D3 NJ | 16 | 9 | 7 | High |
| 20 | Johns Hopkins NCAA D3 MD | 37 | 8 | 29 | Medium |
789 women's cross country rosters read for 2026; 742 have complete enough class and position data to be ranked. 47 low-confidence programs are left out of the rankings but shown on their own program pages.
Men's Cross Country: programs projected to lose the most playersProjected · estimate
| # | Program | On roster | Sr + Gr (departing) | Returning | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Lowell NCAA D1 MA | 74 | 25 | 49 | Medium |
| 2 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology NCAA D3 IN | 75 | 22 | 53 | Medium |
| 3 | Portland NCAA D1 OR | 49 | 19 | 30 | Medium |
| 4 | Michigan State NCAA D1 MI | 38 | 15 | 22 | High |
| 5 | Wartburg NCAA D3 IA | 60 | 14 | 46 | Medium |
| 6 | Saint Mary's College of California NCAA D1 CA | 39 | 14 | 25 | Medium |
| 7 | Michigan NCAA D1 MI | 26 | 13 | 13 | High |
| 8 | Milligan NAIA TN | 34 | 12 | 22 | Medium |
| 9 | Minnesota State University Moorhead NCAA D2 MN | 39 | 11 | 28 | Medium |
| 10 | Saint John's NCAA D3 MN | 38 | 11 | 27 | Medium |
| 11 | Colorado Colorado Springs NCAA D2 CO | 34 | 11 | 23 | Medium |
| 12 | Aquinas NAIA MI | 29 | 11 | 18 | Medium |
| 13 | Cal Poly Humboldt NCAA D2 CA | 39 | 10 | 29 | Medium |
| 14 | Colgate NCAA D1 NY | 29 | 10 | 19 | Medium |
| 15 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute NCAA D3 NY | 28 | 10 | 18 | Medium |
| 16 | Rockhurst NCAA D2 MO | 26 | 10 | 16 | Medium |
| 17 | Dakota State NAIA SD | 25 | 10 | 15 | High |
| 18 | St. Olaf NCAA D3 MN | 41 | 9 | 32 | Medium |
| 19 | Benedictine NAIA KS | 32 | 9 | 23 | Medium |
| 20 | Tufts NCAA D3 MA | 31 | 9 | 22 | Medium |
720 men's cross country rosters read for 2026; 682 have complete enough class and position data to be ranked. 38 low-confidence programs are left out of the rankings but shown on their own program pages.
Cross Country: programs projected to lose the most playersProjected · estimate
| # | Program | On roster | Sr + Gr (departing) | Returning | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indiana Bloomington NCAA D1 IN | 37 | 37 | 0 | High |
| 2 | Gonzaga NCAA D1 WA | 60 | 21 | 39 | Medium |
| 3 | Duke NCAA D1 NC | 44 | 20 | 23 | High |
| 4 | Michigan Technological NCAA D2 MI | 60 | 19 | 41 | Medium |
| 5 | Grand Valley State NCAA D2 MI | 93 | 18 | 75 | Low |
| 6 | Malone NCAA D2 OH | 43 | 18 | 25 | High |
| 7 | Loyola University Chicago NCAA D1 IL | 36 | 17 | 19 | High |
| 8 | Wisconsin-Stevens Point NCAA D3 WI | 69 | 16 | 53 | Medium |
| 9 | University at Buffalo, the State University of New York NCAA D1 NY | 33 | 16 | 17 | High |
| 10 | Oregon NCAA D1 OR | 30 | 16 | 14 | High |
| 11 | Texas Christian NCAA D1 TX | 25 | 15 | 10 | High |
| 12 | Columbia University-Barnard NCAA D1 NY | 51 | 14 | 37 | Medium |
| 13 | William & Mary NCAA D1 VA | 41 | 14 | 27 | Medium |
| 14 | Washington NCAA D1 WA | 38 | 14 | 24 | Medium |
| 15 | College of Wooster NCAA D3 OH | 32 | 14 | 18 | High |
| 16 | North Carolina State NCAA D1 NC | 40 | 13 | 27 | Medium |
| 17 | Notre Dame NCAA D1 IN | 39 | 13 | 26 | Medium |
| 18 | Tulane NCAA D1 LA | 31 | 13 | 18 | High |
| 19 | Virginia NCAA D1 VA | 40 | 12 | 28 | Medium |
| 20 | Youngstown State NCAA D1 OH | 40 | 12 | 28 | Medium |
202 cross country rosters read for 2026; 197 have complete enough class and position data to be ranked. 5 low-confidence programs are left out of the rankings but shown on their own program pages.
How to use this
How the openings estimate works
Estimate: departing = players listed as seniors or graduate students at that position; signal compares them with everyone at the position whose class is listed (high: at least 2 and at least 40% departing; medium: at least 1 and at least 20%; low: fewer). Based only on the published roster.
- Does not account for transfers, early departures, injuries, walk-ons or players already committed.
- Seniors without a stated redshirt may still have a year of eligibility left; the roster page does not say.
- Coaches recruit for need and fit; an opening is not an offer.
Counts come from the official roster page as published; individual players are never stored or shown here. Open the official roster for names.
A program losing three starters at your position will read your email differently than one that is set for two years. Email the position coach now, say which spot you are aiming for, and link your film. Head coaches and position coaches for every program are in the cross country coaches directory.
Keep going
Aggregate counts from each program's official roster page; no player names or personal details are stored or shown. Rosters change through the year. Report a problem.