Duquesne enters the 2026 cross country season with momentum on both sides, bringing back a wealth of championship-race experience while adding a talented group of first-year runners. The men's team returns seven of its 10 competitors from last year's Atlantic 10 Championships, including four of its five scorers, after earning its first regional ranking since 2020. The women's squad also returns seven of its 10 A-10 Championship competitors, all of whom made their championship debuts a year ago, giving the Dukes experienced cores on both sides as they look to take the next step in 2026.

The men's squad earned a regional ranking for the first time since 2020 last season, coming in at No. 12 in the initial USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Poll. Four of the five scorers from the 2025 Atlantic 10 Championship roster return, along with seven of the 10 Dukes who competed at the conference championship.

Junior Ben Shields highlights the returning group after leading Duquesne in all six races he competed in last season, including both championship races. Shields placed 42nd at the A-10 Championships and 67th at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, while also earning A-10 Performer of the Week honors and posting a pair of top-five overall finishes.

Fellow junior Anthony Cieciersku was a consistent scorer throughout the 2025 season and finished second for the Dukes at both championship races. Liam Kirkpatrick, the team's third finisher at the NCAA regional, enters his second season on The Bluff after scoring in four of six races as a freshman, including both championship meets.

Senior Mason Stewart begins his final season as a two-time scorer at the A-10 Championships, while sophomore Brendan Burns capped his freshman campaign with a scoring performance at the NCAA regional. Juniors Jacob Bonnar and Sam Freedman also return with championship-race experience.

Seven of the 10 runners who competed for Duquesne at last year's A-10 Championships return on the women's side, with all seven having made their championship debut in 2025. Sophomore Sylvia Kashak headlines the returning group as the team's top returning scorer from both championship races. Kashak, who set multiple Duquesne track & field records as a freshman, earned A-10 All-Rookie honors in both indoor and outdoor track & field.

Fellow sophomores and former North Allegheny High School teammates Elizabeth Pizon and Kendall Lucas also return after strong championship debuts. Pizon was the Dukes' fifth finisher at the NCAA regional, while Lucas was the team's fifth finisher at the A-10 Championships. Seniors Emma Andreen and Cydney Blahovec also tout championship-race experience, along with sophomores Lauren Ciuca and Gianna Mosca. Ciuca earned A-10 Rookie of the Week honors after a standout 6K performance at the Robert Morris meet, while Mosca posted an individual victory at the late-season Saint Francis Red Flash Rally.

The Dukes welcome five first-year runners on the men's side: Lucas Bleakney, a 13th-place finisher at the 2025 PIAA Class 2A State Championships for Ellwood City. Reese Cubbison also earned a 13th-place finish as a senior at last season's PIAA Class 3A State Championships for Mifflin County High School, while Jude Olsen crossed 31st at the Class 3A state championships representing Council Rock South High School. Andrew Peigh, a North Allegheny High School product, turned in a 25th-place finish at the PIAA 3A Championships, while Evan Yurasko joins the Dukes from Mount Lebanon High School.

On the women's side, Duquesne welcomes four first-year runners, including Elise Ashcroft of Moon Area High School and Hailey Caldwell, an All-State selection at St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C. Maya Currie joins the Dukes from North Allegheny High School, while Mia Gartley arrives from Quaker Valley High School after placing 37th at the PIAA Class 2A State Championships as a senior.

The Dukes were picked tied for ninth in the men's Atlantic 10 preseason poll and 11th on the women's side.