SEWANEE, Tenn. - With four finishers in the top-10, Trinity earned back-to-back status as Southern Athletic Association Men's Cross Country Champions on Saturday. T Harris earned the individual first place honor representing the Berry Vikings.
Trinity claimed the 2026 SAA Men’s Cross Country Championship title with 40 points, finishing ahead of runner-up Centre (65) and third-place Rhodes (75).
Following the women’s race, all nine SAA men’s cross country teams took to the course and delivered an outstanding championship performance, highlighted by a thrilling sprint to the finish between the top two runners.
Berry’s T. Harris and Centre’s Houston Brooks battled stride for stride down the stretch. As the two rounded the final turn, both athletes made their move toward the finish line, with Harris crossing first in 25:48.1 to capture the individual championship and earn SAA Athlete of the Year honors. Brooks, a sophomore, followed just two seconds behind in 25:50.3.
Sewanee’s Jack Collins claimed third place and First Team All-Conference honors with a time of 25:53.6. Trinity’s Eli Bliss and SAA Rookie of the Year Layton Carlisle rounded out the top five finishers.
The 2026 SAA Coaching Staff of the Year honor went to Trinity University, led by head coach Emily Daum.
Men's Champion - Trinity University
Men's Athlete of the Year - T Harris, Berry
Men's Rookie of the Year - Layton Carlisle, Trinity
Men's Coaching Staff of the Year - Trinity University
Men's First Team All-Conference
T Harris, Berry (25:48.1)
Houston Brooks, Centre (25:50.3)
Jack Collins, Sewanee (25:53.6)
Eli Bliss, Trinity (26:02.7)
Layton Carlisle, Trinity (26:04.7
Men's Second Team All-Conference
Diego Donald, Rhodes (26:21.2)
Christian Myers, Sewanee (26:28.7)
Nicolas Hutchinson, Trinity (26:29.5)
Max Germann, Centre (26:32.1)
George Mikhael, Trinity (26:43.0)
Men's Honorable Mention:
Brady Meredith, Rhodes (26:43.8)
Brooks Johnson, Berry (26:45.1)
Brady Peifer, Trinity (26:48.3)
Kyle Fix, Trinity (26:56.5)
Maverick Waters, Centre (27:02.3)
All-Sportsmanship Team:
Berry - Brooks Johnson
Centre - Max Germann
Maryville - Gavin Hill
Millsaps - Greer Hernandez
Oglethorpe - Jack Dollar
Rhodes - Wright McManus
Sewanee - Declan Oberlies
Southwestern - Kevin Love
Trinity - Eli Bliss
For more information on all things SAA, visit the websites of any of the participating schools or go to the SAA’s home on the internet at www.saa-sports.com. Stay up to date on all Southern Athletic Association news by following @SAA_Sports on Twitter (X) and @SAA_Sports on Instagram.