GRINNELL, Iowa – With the type of depth not seen in a handful of years, the Grinnell College men's cross country team looks to make a major push forward in 2026.
 
Top returnees include Jack Lakin '29, Leif Dahl '29, Ben Abelow '28, Sebastian Vilches '29, Sebastian Manza '27, Cayden Smith '29, Spencer Lyau '29, Greyson Imm '28 and Sam Beck '27. Lakin was last year's Midwest Conference Newcomer of the Year and was joined on the All-MWC squad by Abelow, Vilches and Imm. Beck was an All-MWC selection in 2024.
 
Lakin owns the 27^th-best time in GC history and Abelow is 30^th all-time.
 
Top newcomers to the team, according to head coach Sarah Burnell, are Milo Flores '30, Evan Whildin '30 and Henry Pickert '30.
 
"This is the deepest team we've had since I've been here," said Burnell. "It's very close to the 2023 group, which is also the last time we won the conference. We have a lot of runners in a very close range – that is huge over the course of a season when you never know who will have a great day. It's a very fun team to coach because of that."
 
Burnell is hoping to see the team return to the top of the league. "We're definitely aiming at winning the conference," she said. "We had a good showing last and hope to take that next step. Lawrence University will be coming back strong, so that will be a hurdle for us.
 
"We'd also like to move up in the region … a top-six finish would be exciting, especially with such a young team," she continued. "The runners will get some great experience racing against some of the best teams in the country, which exists in our region. Perhaps by the end we can have a few individuals knocking on the door of nationals."