Lake Forest College men's cross country opens its 2026 season Saturday, Sept. 5, at Lewis University's Flyer Early Bird in Romeoville.

The Foresters were picked to tie for eighth with Monmouth College in the Midwest Conference preseason coaches poll, the college announced Sept. 1. Each team earned 26 points in the poll, which is voted on by the league's head coaches. Coaches rank the other nine teams in predicted order of finish.

Lawrence University topped the poll with 80 points and eight first-place votes after winning its 11th MWC team championship in 2025 in Cedar Rapids. Grinnell College finished second with 70 points, and Luther College placed third with 62. Grinnell and Luther split the remaining two first-place votes.

The eighth-place projection marks a slight improvement over the 2025 season, when Lake Forest finished ninth at the MWC Championship Meet. The Foresters had placed eighth in both 2023 and 2024.

Owen Lashenik returns as the team's top runner. Lashenik was Lake Forest's top finisher in every race during the 2025 season and earned All-MWC honors with a 13th-place finish at the conference meet. He earned his first varsity letter in 2024, when he was named the team's Most Valuable Performer. He picked up his second varsity letter in cross country in 2025.

Patrick Austin enters his fifth season as head coach. Austin also leads the college's track and field program.

After the opener at Lewis, the Foresters' regular-season schedule includes meets hosted by Wheaton College, Augustana College and Beloit College. Beloit will host the MWC Championships on Saturday, Oct. 31, at the Beloit Club in Beloit, Wisconsin. Augustana hosts the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional two weeks later. The national championships are set for Saturday, Nov. 21, in Northfield, Minnesota.