Schedule
Roster
WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Picked to finish third in the PSAC Preseason Coaches poll after a historic fourth-place finish at the PSAC Championships last fall, the West Chester University men's cross country team under the tutelage of head coach
Colin Leak enters 2026 with high aspirations and a strong group of both returners and newcomers poised to make those aspirations reality.
"It's been really fun to see this group come back from a solid summer of training," started Leak. "It is always interesting to see how it develops year-to-year and to see how much further along we are each year, not only in our fitness but in our culture and team dynamics. I think we are a really mature team and I think across the board we are starting to believe more and more and have more pride in what we do, which is going to pay dividends for us."
West Chester returns a trio of All-League performers from last season, led by
Josh Miller (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville), who finished fifth at the PSAC Championships in 24:56.
Matt Remishofski (Wall, N.J./Wall) and Nicholas Forman (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) return following 23
rd and 26
th place finishes in 25:54 and 26:09.90, respectively.
The Golden Rams performance at the PSAC Championships was just a part of a strong fall season for the Golden Rams, which also included a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Atlantic/East Regional Championships, led by a sixth-place finish by Miller in 30:39.50. While this sixth-place finish did not grant Miller an automatic spot in the Division II Cross Country National Championship field, Miller was able to qualify as an at-large selection, becoming the first men's runner to qualify from West Chester since Josh Coakley. Miller placed 62
nd at the National Championships in 31:04.0 as he steadily moved his way through the pack, scoring in 128
th after the first kilometer before breaking into the top-70 in the final leg of the 10K Championship race.
West Chester also returns
Jordan Barge (Lititz, Pa./Warwick), Andrew Bradley (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum), Louis Edgcumbe (West Chester, Pa./Bishop Shanahan), Ellis Eppard (Gaithersburg, Md./Wooton), Mike Filipas (West Chester, Pa./Henderson), Matt Landis (North Wales, Pa./North Penn), Sam Leisenring (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West), Eli Radio (El Paso, Tx./Chapin), Jorge Rinker (Orfield, Pa./Parkland), Aiden Schwartz (Allentown, N.J./Allentown), Ryan Wack (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth), Billy Zane (Springfield, Pa./Springfield DELCO).
In addition to this strong returning core, West Chester also welcomes a large incoming class including
Joshua Bucko (Conshohocken, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh), Jacob Casey (Bath, Pa./Nazareth), Evan Dawson (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette), Charles Hegarty (Drexel Hill, Pa./Upper Darby), Tyran London (Lancaster, Pa./JP McCaskey), Wyatt Nelson (Middleburg, Pa./Midd-West), Dylan Rooney (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy), Tyler Rudy (Duncannon, Pa./Susquenita), Joey Sharkey (Harleysville, Pa./North Penn), Brendan Tester (Landenberg, Pa./Avon Grove), Kyle Tracey (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley), Isaiah Washington (North Wales, Pa./North Penn).
"Our freshman crew has really gotten into it," said Leak. "To be a great collegiate distance runner, you have to embrace every part of it, including the sacrifices you have to be willing to make, 5 am practices, and everything in between. This group has done just that and really meshed into the team dynamic very quickly, which as a coach is great to see."
West Chester will be back in action on Friday evening in Coatesville for the WCU Season Opener for one of three meets hosted by the Golden Rams this fall. West Chester will also visit Dickinson for the Long-Short Invitational on September 12, Lehigh for the Paul Short on October 2, Bloomsburg for the Bloomsburg Invitational on October 17, and Lock Haven for the Go-Fast River Run on October 24. West Chester will head back to Bloomsburg on November 7 for the PSAC Championships ahead of the Atlantic Regional Championships in North Carolina on November 21.
