In his first race with Mid-America Christian University, Mohamed Guled dominated at the Rogers State University Distance After Dark by more than a minute. The junior from Al Ain City, United Arab Emirates also broke the Evangels four-mile school record by over a minute with a time of 19:12.7. He earned first overall out of 186 runners and led Mid-America Christian to a sixth-place team finish. Guled averaged a 4:48.2 mile in his first race of 2026 and paced his team to the best time among conference opponents.
Nominees: Mohamed Guled, Mid-America Christian University; Royce Havens, Nelson University; Xander Heil, Malone University; David Helms, Lancaster Bible College; August Swenson, University of Northwestern