ALISO VIEJO, Calif. - Soka University's cross country program heads into the 2026 season with a full year in the Great Southwest Athletic Conference (GSAC) now behind it. Head coach Patrick Boivin and assistant Ryan Sanders return to guide a Lions roster that gained valuable experience in its conference debut last fall, when the women placed fourth and the men fifth at the 2025 GSAC Championships out of eight teams.
 
The Lions bring back key pieces from that squad, including Yuko Hashimoto, who was Soka's top finisher in the women's race at last year's conference meet. On the men's side, Mark Pliushchanskii crossed the line as the team's leader at GSAC Championships.
 
This year's six-meet slate opens on the road at the Waves Invitational in Malibu and winds through Southern California and Las Vegas before closing at the GSAC Championship, hosted again by The Master's University in Santa Clarita. The same course where the Lions posted their conference debut results a year ago.
 
2026 Schedule
 
September 4 (Friday) — Waves Invitational — Malibu, Calif.
September 19 (Saturday) — UCR Invitational — Riverside, Calif.
September 25 (Friday) — Duel in the Desert (hosted by NSU & CSN) — Las Vegas, Nev.
October 3 (Saturday) — The Master's Invitational — Santa Clarita, Calif.
October 17 (Saturday) — Highlander Invitational — Riverside, Calif.
November 6 (Friday) — GSAC Championship — Santa Clarita, Calif.