NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Florida Southern College men's cross country team continues to make strides in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division II Men's Cross Country National Coaches' Poll, now ranked No. 20.
 
The Moccasins, four meets into the 2026 season, continue to dominate the field, winning the season opener meet at the Uncle Nick's Swan City Bagel Run and second overall in the FSU Invite. Ranked No. 3 in the South Region behind Lee University and the University of Tampa, the team opened the 2026 season with a great team win in the Uncle Nick's Swan City Bagel Run last weekend. Eli Zuppa led the team as the top collegiate finisher, as the Mocs had a perfect team score, snagging the best points for the top finishers.
 
At the FSU Invite, Florida Southern was second overall, behind host Florida State University, as the top NCAA Division II team. Cole Summers was the top Moc in that meet, finishing sixth overall in the 8k with a time of 24:43.0. Michael Toppi and Zuppa were also top-10 finishers. FSC followed with another meet win at the FLRunners Invitational two weeks ago, led by Jack Girard with a time of 26:50.69. Most recently, the Mocs placed sixth overall at the Lewis Crossover last weekend, with personal-best times by Toppi (24:30.9) and Summers (24:33.1) as top 15 overall finishers.
 
The Mocs will return to Lakeland to host the Ed Holloway Classic on Friday, Oct. 16, at Holloway Park. The men's race is scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m., with the women's race taking place before at 5:45 p.m.