MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Capturing the first individual NESCAC Championship title since 1993, Dylan Cote led the Wesleyan men's cross country team as the 2026 NESCAC Champion to a fourth-place finish on Saturday afternoon, beating out 150 runners in the 8k race at Middlebury College.

Cote, now the second Cardinal in program history to win the NESCAC Championship, joins elite company with three-time NESCAC victor Joseph Mahoney ('90, '92, '93).  Crossing the finish line at 24:31.08, Cote finished more than 13 seconds ahead of the runner-up.

Senior Noah Mahoney also turned in a strong performance, placing 10th overall in 25:05.31. Mahoney and Cote earn All-NESCAC honors.

The Cardinals finished fourth in the team standings with 83 points, just behind champion Amherst (66), runner-up Williams (67), and third-place Tufts (70). With seven runners in the Top 50, Zach Allen placed 17th in 25:14.88, Ben McKinney finished 22nd in 25:28.22, and Dan Irish rounded out Wesleyan's scoring five with a 40th-place finish in 25:58.96.

Turning attention to the NCAA Division III Regional Championships, the Cardinals look to build on their strong postseason performance on Saturday, Nov. 14 in Manchester, CT.