Monmouth, Ore.  – Northwest Nazarene cross country is set to compete at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championships on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Ash Creek Preserve in Monmouth, Oregon.

Both Nighthawk teams enter the championship meet looking to finish the season strong after a competitive fall schedule and a final opportunity to test themselves against conference opponents.

The NNU men enter the championship after finishing third at the 2025 GNAC Championships and earning the first NCAA Division II National Championship appearance in program history. The Nighthawks were picked tied for second in the 2026 GNAC preseason coaches poll alongside Alaska Anchorage.

Luke Stockett, Ian Stockett and Emmitt Warren have been key contributors for the Nighthawks throughout this season. The trio will look to lead the men's team as they compete for a conference title and individual honors on Saturday.

On the women's side, NNU is looking to top on their sixth-place conference finish from a year ago. The Nighthawks were selected seventh in the GNAC preseason poll but have continued to make notable progress throughout the season.

The women are coming off a strong third-place team finish at the Lewis-Clark State Invitational, led by Hazel Kunkel, who set a new NNU women's cross country 5K school record with a fifth-place finish in 17:23. Cameron Moore also placed ninth, while McKenna Lechner and Zoey Stauffer finished 26th and 27th.

Western Washington enters the championship as the defending champion on both the men's and women's sides, having won four consecutive GNAC team titles.
Saturday's championship will feature the conference's top teams competing for the GNAC title and individual honors. The men's 8K race is scheduled for 10 a.m. Pacific, followed by the women's 6K race at 10:45 a.m.

Following the conference championships, the Nighthawks will turn their attention to the NCAA Division II West Regional on Nov. 21 in Sacramento, California.