Oregon XC sweeps Big Ten titles, Schumacher named Coach of the Year

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - The head coach of Oregon cross country Jerry Schumacher was named the 2026 Big Ten XC Coach of the Year on Wednesday.

Schumacher has now earned 10 conference Coach of the Year honors at Oregon, including eight in the Big Ten.

As a team, the Ducks claimed their second-consecutive title last Friday at the Big Ten Championships. Since joining the conference in 2024, the men and women of Oregon have won 12 of the 14 Big Ten team titles across cross country, indoor and outdoor track.

Senior Simeon Birnbaum won the individual conference title, followed by Evan Jenkins in third and Aiden Smith in fourth. Those three runners, as well as Connor Burns, Benjamin Balazs and Tayson Echohawk all earned first-team league honors.

On the women’s side, the sophomore standout Diana Cherotich successfully defended her Big Ten individual title in the 6K. The Ducks finished in three of the top four spots and Cherotich set a new course and meet record time.

Both the men and women will now travel to the NCAA West Region Championships in Sacramento, Calif next week. The top two teams there earn an automatic trip to the NCAA Championships.