TURLOCK, Calif.--- The Stan State men's cross country team will begin its postseason Saturday, Nov. 7, at the 2026 CCAA Cross Country Championships presented by Pollo Campero at the CSUSB Cross Country Course in San Bernardino. The championships will be hosted by Cal State San Bernardino, with the men's 8K race scheduled for 10 a.m., followed by the women's 6K race at 11 a.m.
The Warriors, coached by Darren Holman, enter the conference championships ranked eighth in the West Region by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Stan State will look to build on a regular season that included a third-place finish at the Kim Duyst Twilight and a fifth-place showing at the Bronco Invitational, where the Warriors finished ahead of several NCAA Division I programs.
USTFCCCA West Region Rankings
Stan State remains eighth in the latest USTFCCCA NCAA Division II West Region rankings. The Warriors are one of five CCAA programs among the region's top 10, joining Chico State, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State San Marcos and Cal Poly Humboldt.
Chico State continues to hold the No. 1 ranking in the West Region, followed by Western Washington, Cal Poly Pomona, Western Oregon and Cal State San Marcos. Alaska Anchorage is sixth, followed by Biola, Stan State, Cal Poly Humboldt and Northwest Nazarene.
All 10 teams maintained their positions from the previous regional rankings.
2025 CCAA Championships Recap
Stan State placed fourth at the 2025 CCAA Cross Country Championships at Bidwell Park, totaling 130 points in the 10-team field. Mason Oliveira led the Warriors with a 15th-place finish in 24:57.5 to earn his second consecutive All-CCAA honor.
Jackson Oliveira followed in 18th place (25:05.7), while Patricio Kearney finished 27th (26:05.0), Tanner Gerhart 32nd (26:35.2) and Quentin Clarke 38th (26:48.6) to complete the scoring five.
The fourth-place finish marked Stan State's fifth consecutive top-four performance at the CCAA Championships.
Meet-by-Meet Recap
USF Invitational (Sept. 4 – San Francisco, Calif.)
Stan State opened the 2026 season at the USF Invitational at Hellman Hollow in San Francisco. Jackson Oliveira led the Warriors with an 11th-place finish in the 8K race, clocking 24:30.0. His twin brother, Mason Oliveira, followed in 30th place with a time of 25:00.9.
Kim Duyst Twilight (Sept. 12 – Ceres, Calif.)
The Warriors placed third at the Kim Duyst Twilight at River Oaks Golf Course, totaling 51 points in the 10-team field. Stan State was the top NCAA Division II finisher, placing behind only NCAA Division I programs UC Santa Barbara (41 points) and CSUN (49).
Jackson Oliveira finished second overall and was the top collegiate finisher, completing the 8K course in 24:05.5. Mason Oliveira placed fourth in 24:29.6, while Guardave Pandher finished 12th in 24:52.1 to give Stan State three runners among the top 12.
Quentin Clarke placed 24th in 25:22.4, while Tanner Gerhart rounded out the scoring five in 29th (25:35.8).
For his performance, Jackson Oliveira earned the FloCollege/CCAA Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week honor.
Bronco Invitational (Oct. 17 – Sunnyvale, Calif.)
Stan State closed the regular season with a fifth-place finish in the 22-team Men's 8K Invitational at Baylands Regional Course. The Warriors totaled 137 points, finishing behind Chico State, Santa Clara, Nevada and Pepperdine.
Jackson Oliveira led the Warriors with a fourth-place finish in 23:40.6, crossing the line as the top collegiate finisher. Mason Oliveira followed in 13th (24:01.2), while Tanner Gerhart placed 49th (24:44.0), Gurdave Pandher 58th (24:49.0) and freshman Jace Campos 61st (24:51.3).
Jackson Oliveira earned his second FloCollege/CCAA Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week honor of the season following his performance. The Oakdale native became the first Stan State men's cross country runner to earn two conference weekly honors in the same season, according to available conference records dating back to 2006.
NCAA Championship Qualification
The top three teams at each NCAA Division II regional championship automatically qualify for the NCAA Division II National Championships. An additional 10 teams nationwide receive at-large bids to complete the championship field. Each qualifying team may enter a maximum of seven runners at the national meet.
Individuals who are not members of qualifying teams can also advance to nationals. The top two individual finishers from non-qualifying teams at each regional automatically earn berths, along with any additional runners who finish among the top five overall and are not members of qualifying teams.
The full selection field for the 2026 NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Cross Country National Championships will be announced Monday, Nov. 23, on NCAA.com.
Up Next
The NCAA Division II West Regional will be held Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Arcade Creek Cross Country Course in Sacramento, with the men's race scheduled for 9 a.m. The NCAA Division II National Championship is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 4, at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence, Kansas.
