NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Florida Southern College men's cross country team opens the 2026 season ranked No. 21 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division II Men's Cross Country National Coaches' Poll. The ranking marks the highest the team has opened a season since 2006, when the Mocs were ranked No. 19.
 
The Moccasins, ranked No. 2 in the South Region just behind Lee University, 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.
 
The 2026 squad is an experienced group for Florida Southern, with Zuppa, Cole Summers, and Andrew Nyland returning as All-Region athletes, among the best in the South Region. On Oct. 20, 2025, Nyland was named the USTFCCCA M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week, with Summers and Zuppa earning All-Sunshine State Conference honors in 2025 before the Mocs won their third-straight conference title.
 
In addition to FSC's returning all-conference athletes, the Mocs have Michael Toppi, Parker Graham, and Thomas McCarthy, who finished in the top 10 at last week's meet, providing great depth for head coach Matt Levassiur and assistant coach Ellie Fluman '24 '25. Ranked as high as No. 15 in last year's cross country poll, the Mocs look to continue a national presence early in the year.
 
The Mocs will race next in the FSU Invite on Friday, Sept. 18, at the Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla.