EWING, N.J. – With the 2026 NJAC Championship taking place on their home course, the TCNJ men's cross country team would've likely been high on confidence coming into Saturday's run. That confidence showed on the course, as Joshua Santiago and the Lions claimed the program's second straight conference title in dominant fashion.
 
For the second straight year, a TCNJ runner was the NJAC Individual Champion. Joshua Santiago logged a time of 24:37.9 over the eight-kilometer course, finishing more than 20 seconds ahead of New Paltz's Luca Maneri who placed second. Phil Pace was the next runner across the line in third, and the junior posted a time of 25:12.1.
 
Will Nelson, the top rookie in the race, made it a trio of Lions in the top five with his fifth-place effort (25:36.2). Simon Bernhardt (25:37.6), Sean Haggerty (25:40.5), and Moksh Patwari (25:52.0) took up places six through eight to help TCNJ claim its second consecutive conference crown.
 
For the second straight season, TCNJ scored just 22 points in the conference championship. The squad this year also posted an average time of 25:20, which was 32 seconds clear of the next-fastest average. The Lions will get a well-deserved week off before setting their sights on the NCAA Metro Region Championship in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The championship meet will take place on November 14, with TCNJ's sights set on a second straight regional title.