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TSR's 2026 Preseason D2 XC Top 10 Team Rankings (Men): #2 Wingate Bulldogs
Written by Jaime Diedel, edits & additional commentary via Gavin Struve
NOTE #1: Earlier this summer, The Stride Report reached out to nearly every team that was considered for a possible ranking this summer. While we did receive numerous responses and great clarity, we did not get a 100% response rate. On certain occasions, we are referencing TFFRS in order to talk about returners and athletes who are out of eligibility.
NOTE #2: The Stride Report is aware that a number of meets have already taken place during the 2026 cross country season. However, The Stride Report believes that these early-season races (often called "rust-busters") hold little-to-no importance on a team's national standing due to the limited competition and the lack of top names being entered at these meets.
We are in an era of pure dominance from the men of Wingate and Coach Pol Domenech.
Since the fall of 2022, the Bulldogs have been a top-two team in the nation every season, as they were the national meet runner-up squad in both 2022 and 2024, as well as the national champions in 2023 and 2025.
Each year, the Wingate men seem to rebuild and get stronger, keeping them a consistent national title-contending team. And even after losing some of their heavy hitters from their 2025 NCAA title team, the men of Wingate, North Carolina are still very much in the mix to repeat.
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It wasn’t until the Paul Short Run the first weekend in October that we saw a fully locked and loaded Bulldog lineup. Wingate competed in the “Gold” race against some strong Division One programs, ultimately finishing 5th and outperforming teams like Penn State, Navy and Villanova.
Wingate was led by Joaquin Campos, who placed 16th, with Antonin Saint-Peyre also capturing a top-25 result. Senior Luca Poppe competed well in placing 31st, while sophomores Arthur Faroux (51st) and Alex Durant (58th) offered fantastic backend scoring.
The Bulldogs' depth didn’t stop with their five scorers, though. The supporting cast of Mohamed Dahmouch (67th) and Alexis Collomb (89th) displayed just another reason why their team is so strong year after year.
The SAC XC Championships marked the next step on the Bulldogs' schedule for some of their top runners. As expected, the men of Wingate secured the conference title, but not by the margin many had anticipated. They won by just a one-point margin over Anderson (SC).
Wingate proved to be dominant up front, taking the first two individual spots, thanks to Samuel Gilson and David Holman, respectively. That was Gilson’s first conference meet in a Wingate uniform and his first conference title all in one. Collomb (4th) was close behind, while Thomas Bentley (11th) and Alejandro Berrio (18th) closed out the scoring.
Seeing as Domenech didn’t field his entire “A” squad by any means, still winning over a top-10 team in the nation was a testament to how solid his squad's depth was. The Wingate men didn’t need a stacked lineup to bring home the conference crown; they were still that good.
The Bulldogs likely could have won the Southeast regional meet without putting their top-end men in uniform. Instead, they put out a display of unquestionable dominance.
Like…really dominant.
The North Carolinians nearly walked away from the regional with a perfect score, as they swept the top-four positions. They were led by senior Lars Laros, who raced for the first time that season. Gilson and Durant were the next Bulldogs to the finish line, in that order, while Dahmouch was a great fourth scorer for Wingate.
Niels Peeters proved to be a solid addition to Wingate’s scoring contingent, as he took 6th place on the regional stage. In pursuit behind him, Faroux secured 7th place in his first 10k at the NCAA level. Even the Bulldogs' seventh man, Holman, offered fantastic scoring insurance, placing 11th.
The men of Wingate were heading to the national stage as, without a doubt, the deepest team. On the national stage in Wisconsin two weeks later, the Bulldogs' lineup looked as sturdy as ever.
Saint-Peyre battled at the front, coming away as the individual NCAA XC Championship runner-up in just his second race of the season. Gilson (9th) greatly exceeded expectations, giving the Bulldogs even more firepower as their second scorer.
Poppe and Faroux had a pair of excellent races, both earning top-half All-American honors in 15th and 20th, respectively. Not to mention, that was Faroux’s first national meet with Wingate.
Wingate’s fifth runner, Campos, landed in 29th place, an incredible position for a team’s final scorer. Laros (37th) and Durant (46th) offered fantastic support and depth, nearly giving Wingate seven individual All-Americans.
Despite Adams State also having five All-Americans and slightly more front-end firepower, Wingate won the NCAA team title.
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The Wingate men have to say goodbye to a number of their stars from the 2025 season. Antonin Saint-Peyre, Luca Poppe and Joaquin Campos are all gone.
It's difficult to discern which loss hurts the most. Saint-Peyre was Wingate's lead scorer, but Poppe became a superstar in his final year, winning three individual NCAA titles on the track in 2026. Campos, meanwhile, didn't exhaust his eligibility, but instead left for a title-contending rival: Adams State.
Even so, Wingate still has more than enough upside and depth to be one of, if not the, best program in Division Two yet again.
Samuel Gilson, the team’s second man from last year’s cross country national meet, will still be in a Bulldog uniform this fall. After a remarkable first fall with Wingate, Gilson went on to have terrific indoor and outdoor track campaigns, competing on the national stage for each season. Most notably, he ran 13:58 (5k) back in January and 29:32 (10k) in April. His skillset doesn’t stop there, though.
Gilson’s strength comes in many different forms. He even proved to be one of the better Division Two steeplechasers this past spring, running 8:55 over the barriers and water pits. Now, ranked TSR #6, he'll be expected to serve as Wingate's lead scorer after just one year in North Carolina. However, he won't necessarily have to be the Bulldogs' focal star.
Arthur Faroux and Mohamed Dahmouch are also back in North Carolina. Faroux (TSR #12) went on to have a pretty successful indoor track season after becoming a top-half All-American last November. The now-senior was strong over 3000 meters and 5000 meters in the winter, running as fast as 8:01 (3k) and 14:01 (5k) before sitting out the spring. Assuming he's healthy, there's no reason why he can't be one of Wingate's top men in 2026.
Dahmouch was part of Wingate’s dominant regional meet victory last fall, as he produced a 4th place finish. However, he didn’t end up making Wingate's 2025 cross country national meet lineup.
What he did on the track since then has us reevaluating his ceiling.
Dahmouch was incredible over the middle distances, even running a 3:58 mile in December. While he went on to become a top-half All-American in the metric mile at the outdoor national meet, his 7:56 (3k) PR is what's most promising for cross country success.
He's already shown aerobic strength, but the times he ran in the winter and the finish he achieved to the spring indicate that he has top-10 upside this fall.
Niels Peeters was a quiet member of the Bulldogs' squad last fall, but solid nonetheless. He was a contributor to Wingate’s near-perfect regional meet score, taking 6th place, and might be a varsity mainstay in 2026.
He was also a member of the Bulldogs’ 8th place DMR squad at the indoor national meet, giving him some championship experience.
If the now-senior continues to show growth like he did during the 2025-26 academic year, he could play an even more vital role in his team’s hunt for NCAA gold.
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Since the Wingate men are losing so many hard-hitters from last year’s lineup, they cannot solely rely on their returners for this upcoming campaign. Luckily, Domenech brought in Nate Mueller, Ewen Guilmois and Krzysztof Zielinski.
Mueller, a transfer from Northwest Missouri, is the most experienced cross country runner on this team. Before he redshirted last fall, he placed 3rd in his first four meets of the 2024 cross country season (and last two meets of the 2024 outdoor track season), including competitive conference and regional meets. He then earned a 24th place All-American finish at the NCAA XC Championships.
Mueller isn't a one-hit wonder, though, as he also placed 70th at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships. Assuming he can shake off the rust after a year and a half away from collegiate competition, he gives the Bulldogs another All-American favorite...and maybe even a lead scorer if he's improved since he last saw him.
Guilmois, a French freshman, is another big addition who looks like a scorer on paper. He has run 29:15 over 10k on the roads, a remarkable time that should carry over well to the cross country course. He also possesses some range, holding a 1500-meter personal best of 3:45. Most notably, he has championship experience, having placed 9th at the 2026 French XC Championships.
Speaking of range, Poland native Zielinski came to North Carolina with incredibly solid personal bests across a variety of distances. His endurance, strength and speed are unquestionable, as he holds personal bests of 3:46 (1500), 14:07 (5k) and 30:18 (10k).
Looking ahead, his 8:41 PR for the 3000-meter steeplechase makes him an immediate NCAA title contender next spring. Wingate is the right place for him, given that several Bulldogs have thrived both on the cross country course and in the steeplechase.
Yilan Jacquin is a second French addition alongside Guilmois. His 14:03 (5k) PR makes him another potential contributor as early as this cross country season.
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The men of Wingate always have it in their nature to be dominant in the Division Two distance running world. It is literally in their name.
Domenech has done a terrific job of consistently building one of the most talented squads and bringing in top-tier talents when his team needs it the most. Between the experience and upside of Wingate’s returners and the straight-up talent of the newcomers, the Bulldogs are set up well for their title defense.
In fact, this ranking may well be underrating them.
