PORTALES, N.M. – The Lone Star Conference announced the 2026 men's cross country preseason polls and Runners to Watch list on Monday, which featured two Greyhound freshman runners in Isaac Lacey and Rodrigo Pinales. The Greyhounds were predicted to finish 13^th in the preseason poll.

Isaac Lacey joins Eastern as a freshman from Farmington, New Mexico. He attended Piedra Vista High School and was named the cross country MVP three years in a row, as well as Freshman of the Year in 2022. Lacey earned all-district honors in 2025 and received the Wally D Sports Foundation Male Cross Country Runner of the Year award his senior year. His personal best time in the 5K sits at 15:50.9.

Rodrigo Pinales hails from El Paso, Texas where he attended Coronado High School. Pinales placed just outside the top 40 at the UIL State Cross Country Championships last season and was named First-Team All-Conference. His personal best in the 5,000 meters is 15:39.6, which he achieved in his 13^th-place performance the UIL Region 1 Championships in 2025.

The Greyhounds will make their 2026 debut on September 5^th at the Art Morgan Classic in Las Cruces, NM, hosted by New Mexico State.