NEWS: Oregon Signs Irish Distance Star Nick Griggs, First Highlighted via Cathal Dennehy

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Since the summer months, rumors have floated that the Oregon men have signed a standout international distance superstar. And now, that "secret star" has a name.

In late August, one source confirmed to The Stride Report that Irish distance standout Nick Griggs had signed with the Ducks. However, at the time, that news was off the record.

Since then, Cathal Dennehy of the Irish Independent has published a feature piece on Griggs signing with Oregon, citing that the newest Duck will hold three years of eligibility at the NCAA level.

It should be noted that Griggs is not currently listed on Oregon's 2026 cross country roster, although summer-time expectations were that he would compete this fall. The Stride Report has since received separate confirmation (via screenshot of the NCAA's Eligibility Center) that Griggs has signed with Oregon.

In the article, Dennehy noted that Griggs was recently battling an injury, forcing him to miss roughly five weeks of training. It is unclear whether or not he will be ready to compete at this year's NCAA XC Championships.

It should also be noted that the 21-year-old, who will turn 22 in December, was previously a professional athlete for Puma.

Griggs enters the NCAA with unreal pedigree and elite-level times. The Irishman has posted jaw-dropping marks of 3:48 (mile roads), 3:52 (mile), 3:35 (1500), 7:32 (3k) and 13:05 (5k). We also saw Griggs earn a massive win at the 2025 U23 European XC Championships back in December, defeating current Wake Forest runner Aurélien Radja by 12 seconds for gold.

The Oregon men entered the fall months listed at TSR #3 in our preseason cross country team rankings. The Ducks return two All-American standouts in Aiden Smith and Simeon Birnbaum, as well as a number of key names such as Michael Mireles, Tayson Echohawk, Connor Burns, Ben Balazs, Juan Gonzalez and more.

Evan Bishop, a 27:57 (10k) runner, is listed on Oregon's TFRRS roster, but not on their athletic website roster.

We also saw Oregon add a 13:33 (5k) runner in Xavier Perras-Phaneuf (via Canada) this past summer, as well as two key transfers in Evan Jenkins (via Washington) and Connor McCormick (via Princeton). And now, with Nick Griggs set to (potentially) give the Ducks yet another low-stick, one has to believe that the Oregon men will be favorites for the podium come November should he be ready/healthy enough.