EDISON, NJ (Mar. 20, 2026) – The 2026 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Preseason Coaches’ Polls have been announced, as voted on by the league's head coaches. Sacred Heart University men’s and Quinnipiac University women’s were picked as the favorites in its respective polls.
Sacred Heart was picked as the number one team in the men’s poll, collecting five first place votes for a total of 93 points. The Pioneers enter the 2026 outdoor season coming off the program’s first ever MAAC Men’s Indoor Track & Field Championship title. At the indoor meet, Sacred Heart scored 114 points, to edge Mount St. Mary’s University by just six points. The Pioneers, which is in their second season as a full time MAAC member, will be seeking their first outdoor trophy in 2026, following a sixth place ending at last year’s outdoor championship.
In second place was 2025 runner-up Mount St. Mary’s, which collected 90 points and four first place votes. Defending outdoor champion, Rider University, was picked third in the poll with a total of 81 points and the final first place vote. Iona University was chosen fourth in the poll, earning 74 points, while Marist University rounded out the top half with a total of 56 points.
Quinnipiac was selected first in the women’s poll, compiling 140 points, while receiving nine first place votes. The Bobcats will look to sweep the 2025-26 season, after winning the 2025 cross country championship in the fall and the 2026 indoor championship during the winter. The cross country trophy was the sixth overall for Quinnipiac, while the indoor crown was the first in program history. The Bobcats are in search of their first outdoor crown, finishing fourth at the outdoor championship a season ago.
Sacred Heart was voted second in the poll, finishing with 131 points and two first place votes, followed by defending champions, Rider, who received 117 points and the final first place vote. Mount St. Mary’s checked in at fourth place with 116 points, while Manhattan University rounded out the top five of the women’s poll with 86 points.
The full Preseason Coaches’ Polls can be found below.
| 2026 Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Preseason Coaches’ Poll |
| 1 |
Sacred Heart |
93 (5) |
| 2 |
Mount St. Mary’s |
90 (4) |
| 3 |
Rider |
81 (1) |
| 4 |
Iona |
74 |
| 5 |
Marist |
56 |
| 6 |
Merrimack |
47 |
| 7 |
Saint Peter’s |
43 |
| 8 |
Manhattan |
35 |
| 9 |
Siena |
18 |
| 10 |
Canisius |
13 |
| 2026 Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Preseason Coaches’ Poll |
| 1 |
Quinnipiac |
140 (9) |
| 2 |
Sacred Heart |
131 (2) |
| 3 |
Rider |
117 (1) |
| 4 |
Mount St. Mary’s |
116 |
| 5 |
Manhattan |
86 |
| 6 |
Iona |
84 |
| 7 |
Marist |
68 |
| 8 |
Merrimack |
66 |
| 9 |
Saint Peter’s |
40 |
| 10 |
Siena |
33 |
| 11 |
Niagara |
32 |
| 12 |
Canisius |
23 |
The 2026 MAAC Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held on Saturday and Sunday, May 9-10, 2026, at Morgan Track in Emmitsburg, MD, hosted by Mount St. Mary's University. For all information regarding the 2026 MAAC Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships please visit
maacsports.com/outdoortrack.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena University.
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