EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University has been selected to host the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Great Lakes Regional, as announced by the NCAA Wednesday. MSU will host the meet at Forest Akers East Golf Course in conjunction with the Lansing Sports Commission.
“We are excited to be selected to host the 2026 NCAA Cross Country Regional Championship,” said Michigan State Vice President and Director of Athletics Alan Haller. “Michigan State has a great tradition in cross country with nine total NCAA titles, including both our first NCAA Championship as an institution in 1939 and our most recent National Championship in 2014. This is a tremendous opportunity for both our men’s and women’s teams to chase their own championship dreams on their home course. We look forward to teaming with the Lansing Sports Commission to host an outstanding and memorable event for all teams and their student-athletes.”
Forest Akers East is the home to Michigan State cross country’s annual Spartan Invitational, which is held every September. This is the first time in program history that MSU will host an NCAA Regional. The Forest Akers courses served as the host site for the NCAA DI Men’s Cross Country Championships from 1958-64, while MSU has hosted the Big Ten Championships six times.
MSU is one of nine 2026 NCAA Cross Country Regional hosts.
The Association chose over 240 host sites for preliminary and final rounds of predetermined championships across Divisions I, II and III, primarily for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons. This cycle marked a shift from a four-year to a two-year site selection process.
The NCAA received more than 1,200 bids from member schools, conferences, cities and sports commissions across 47 states and Washington, D.C., all competing to host predetermined rounds for 87 of the NCAA’s 90 championships. The respective NCAA sports committees selected the sites, with final approval from the divisional competition oversight and championships committees.
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