NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The NCAA selected Carleton College to host the 2026 Division III Men's & Women's Cross Country Championships.
 
The NCAA confirmed Carleton as the site with Wednesday's release of future Division I, II and III National Championship host sites for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 academic years. The NCAA sports committees made the selections of host sites based on criteria that included the ability to create an outstanding experience for student-athletes, along with adherence to NCAA sport-specific bid specifications
 
The men's & women's cross country championship races — to be held on Nov. 21, 2026 — will include nearly 600 student-athletes. Thirty-two teams (7 runners each) and over 70 individual runners will be selected for both the men's and women's races (294 runners per competition).

"We are thrilled at this opportunity to host a national championship on Carleton's campus," said Carleton athletic director Heidi Jaynes. "With the immense success of our men's and women's cross country teams over the years, we are excited to promote their success and host the very best from across the country."
 
The Bill Huyck Championship Cross Country course previously hosted the 2016 and 2017 NCAA Central Region Championships and the 2019 and 2023 MIAC Championships. Carleton will also be the site of the 2024 NCAA North Region Championships later this fall.
 
In advance of the 2026 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, Carleton and the City of Northfield will also host a Pre-National Meet in mid-October that year. The Pre-National Meet is an opportunity for national contending schools and individuals to compete on the course in advance of the championship and will include similar numbers of runners to the championship.
 
"Hosting the NCAA Cross Country Championships is an honor," said Donna Ricks, Carleton women's cross country/track & field head coach and meet director for the 2026 NCAA Division III Championships. "Distance running at Carleton has a strong tradition with the women's team winning the national meet in 2024 and the men's cross country team in 1980. We are excited to showcase Carleton College, the Bill Huyck Championship Course, and the City of Northfield."
 
The Cross Country National Championships will mark the sixth time that Carleton has hosted the NCAA Championships. Previously, Carleton's Laird Stadium was the site of the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 1984, 1988, and 1995. The school also hosted the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championships in 1993, and the NCAA Division III Men's & Women's Swimming & Diving Championships in 2006. This is in addition to previous hosting for first/second round games during NCAA Championships for women's basketball, men's soccer, and women's soccer.
 
"Hosting nationals has always been a personal goal," Donna Ricks said. "I mentioned it often to my assistant coach, Laura Albares, who was on board. Along with Dave (Ricks, Carleton's men's cross country/track & field head coach), members of the men's staff, the PEAR Department, the College, and the City of Northfield, we will work hard to put together a quality championship."