The 2016 North Coast Athletic Conference Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships take place Sunday, October 30, in Terre Haute, Indiana.
 
The Wabash squad is looking to win its fourth NCAC men's title after capturing first place in 2011, 2013, and 2014 with second-place finishes in 2010, 2012, and again last season.
 
The Little Giants enter the meet as the favorite to add another conference championship trophy to their collection. Wabash earned seven first-place votes and total of 79 points from the nine league coaches in the pre-championship poll.
 
"It's an honor to be picked as the favorite to win the conference meet by the other coaches," Wabash College head cross country coach Dr. Colin Young said. "There are several good teams in our conference. Allegheny is particularly strong. DePauw has run well and looks good coming into the meet.
 
"I don't think being picked number one by the other coaches adds any additional pressure. I don't talk about rankings. Other coaches don't know all the things going on with our team, just as we don't know what's going on with other teams. The main thing is the race Sunday."
 
The Little Giants have turned in strong efforts at big meets this season. Wabash captured the Indiana Intercollegiates "Little State" title in September by placing three runners in the top-ten spots and five total in the top-20. Senior Mason McKinney has earned NCAC Runner of the Week twice this season, including last week after winning the Oberlin College Inter-Regional Rumble. McKinney comes into his final NCAC race as a two-time All-NCAC runner and 2013 Newcomer of the Year in the conference. He was unable to compete in last year's conference race due to illness.
 
Junior Colin Rinne finished second at Oberlin after posting a fourth-place effort at Little State. He placed fifth at last year's NCAC meet after capturing All-NCAC honors with a 21st-place finish as a freshman. Sophomore Dominic Patacsil received All-NCAC recognition as a freshman at last year's conference championship race with a 19th-place finish.
 
"Our top-three runners in Mason, Colin, and Dom have been really consistent and have provided great leadership all season," Young said.
 
The fourth and fifth spots have been in contention all year for Wabash. Junior Aaron Tincher is coming off a career-best time at Oberlin to help Wabash finish third overall at that race. Senior Murphy Sheets missed the Oberlin race due to an injury but should be ready to run Sunday. He finished as the Little Giants' sixth man at Little State. Two freshmen — Johnny Kirts and Sam Henthorn — have been strong competitors all season for the Red Pack.
 
"We thought Cordell Lewis and Jonah Woods would be part of our top seven, but injuries have prevented them from competing this season," Young said. "But Kirts and Henthorn became our fourth and fifth runners at the Indiana Intercollegiates. They've been progressing well throughout the season. Those two guys will be key for us throughout the next few weeks. Sheets has been a little banged up, but he's worked hard to get healthy and will be ready to go. Tincher has been solid throughout the year. In the two years I've been here I don't think he's ever missed a practice due to illness or injury. I think he's ready to have a great race.
 
"Our guys are healthy and ready to run. We've focused all season long to be ready to run our best at this time of the year."
 
The Little Giants will face strong competition Sunday within the other conference teams. Allegheny won last year's conference title and received two votes for first place in the coaches' poll. Senior Dan Cheung earned First Team honors last year for the Gators with a top-seven finish and is among the favorites as an individual race winner this year. Senior EJ Douglass from Oberlin has been quick all year and could help the Yeomen compete well. DePauw University brings a young but strong team to the mix led by sophomore Paul Christian, the 2015 Newcomer of the Year.
 
Sunday's meet takes place at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana. The course is very familiar to the Wabash team. The Little Giants won the 2015 Little State title there at the start of the 2015 season before capturing the 2015 NCAA Great Lakes Regional championship on the same course.
 
"I've been joking with our team that Sunday's championship event will kind of be like hosting the meet without being responsible for it," Young said. "Running at the Gibson course is a great benefit. Our upperclassmen have raced there and our freshmen have competed there during their high school careers. All of our guys have experienced positive results there. That allows us to go into this meet feeling like we can run well."
 
The men's 8,000-meter race begins at 11 a.m. followed by the women's 6,000-meter championship at noon. DePauw University serves as the host school and will provide final results and a live video stream of the race at DePauwTigers.com.