LAKELAND, Fla. – The Florida Southern College men's and women's cross country teams will take part in the 2026 Sunshine State Conference Championships this Saturday for a shot at a conference title.
2026 SSC Championships
Location: Lakeland, Fla. | Holloway Park
Date: Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026 | 7:45 a.m. Men's Race/8:45 a.m. Women's Race
Live Results:
Hosted by: Lynn University
Championship Page:
https://sunshinestateconference.com/news/2026/10/18/2026-ssc-mens-and-womens-cross-country-championships-information.aspx
Men's Cross Country - Roster | Schedule | Results
The men's team has had a solid year in 2026, with three team meet wins heading into the conference championship. Eyeing a fourth championship in a row, Florida Southern has been in the top 25 nationally all season, led by performances from
Eli Zuppa, Cole Summers, and Michael Toppi. Zuppa was the top collegiate finisher in the season opener, Uncle Nick's Swan City Bagel Run, with Summers, Toppi,
Parker Graham, Thomas McCarthy, and
Andrew Nyland finishing in the top 10 for a perfect team score of 15 points.
Amongst several DI and DII teams in a meet hosted by Florida State, the Mocs were the top DII team, placing second overall, led again by Summers, Toppi, and Zuppa. FSC returned to Lakeland to win the 27
th FLRunners.com Invitational. Amongst a strong national field, FSC placed sixth in the Lewis Crossover, before winning the third meet of the year at the Ed Holloway Classic, led by
Trevor Cross. The final meet of the regular season was at the Chargers Invite, a preview to the regional site, with a strong showing. Toppi (24:21.5) and Summers (24:27.5) had a face meet, logging top-10 8K times in program history. Zuppa was barely outside the top 10 in program history as a speedy addition.
Women's Cross Country - Roster | Schedule | Results
The women's team tied the program best with two team meet wins this season, opening with the Uncle Nick's Swan City Bagel Run. FSC was led by
Grace Reed, who won the individual title at that meet, followed closely by
Hannah Harris, Emma Howes, Emma Pfeiffer, Nika Gividen, and
Heloise Pinto as top 10 Mocs in the race. At the FSU meet, Reed was the top Moc in the 6K, placing seventh overall among the DI and DII field.
The second meet win was at the 27
th FLRunners.com Invitational, led by Pinto in that meet, followed by an eighth-place finish in the Lewis Crossover. FSC nearly captured its third meet win of 2026 at the Ed Holloway Classic, placing second overall, led by Harris in third overall individually. At the Chargers Invite, the women's team also had some fast times, including Reed (21:17.7) and Pfeiffer (21:45.5), adding top-10 program times for the 6K.
Mocs in the SSC Championship
FSC has a strong SSC Championship history, with 27 total team titles. The men's team has a league-best 20 SSC championships, including the last three straight, with the women's team taking home seven, second behind Tampa at 18. Individually,
Christian Giller of the Mocs has won the last two individual championships, and 12 different athletes have won 17 total individual titles. On the women's side, the Mocs have won six individual titles across five runners.
Up Next
After the conference championships, the Mocs will take part in the NCAA South Region Championship in Huntsville, Ala., at John Hunt Park on Saturday, Nov. 21. The top three teams on both sides in the region will automatically qualify for nationals, with 10 additional teams selected at-large. A minimum of 24 additional individuals can be selected to participate in the championship through an automatic qualifier and at-large selection process. Selections for the final site will be announced on Monday, Nov. 23, on NCAA.com. The 2026 NCAA Cross Country Championships will take place at the NCAA DII Fall Festival, with the race on Friday, December 4, 2026, at Rim Rock in Lawrence, Kan.
