Division I · Southern Conference
Mercer University Men's Cross Country
Macon, GA · the Bears · Mercer University overview
16
Roster
room for 1 under the cap of 17
$352k
Team budget
97th percentile in Division I
$22,005
Per roster spot
median $13,101
1
Coaches
1 head · 0 assistant
1000
APR
100% of players retained
66%
Admitted
upper half for selectivity
Mercer University fields a men's cross country team in the Southern Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 16 players, above the median of 14, with 1 head coach and 0 assistants. Team expenses were $352,083, well above the median of $166k — $22,005 per roster spot, top 10% of Division I men's cross country programs. That leaves room for 1 under the Division I roster cap of 17 in force from 2025-26. The team's multi-year Academic Progress Rate is 1000, about the median of 990, with 100% of players retained year to year. The school gave $6,775,291 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $23,607 per roster spot.
Among Division I men's cross country programs
Where this program sits against its 314 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#10Team budgetof 314 · Division I#13Spend per playerof 314 · Division I#17Roster sizeof 314 · Division I#1APRof 314 · Division I
Team budgets across the division
this programevery Division I men's cross country program
Roster sizes (cap 17)
this programevery Division I roster
The program
- Roster16 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap17 room for 1
- Coaching staff1 head, 0 assistant
- Team expenses$352,083 for the year
- Operating expenses$45,672 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$22,005 division median $13,101
- Academic Progress Rate1000 multi-year; 1000 latest
- Players retained100% year to year
- Eligible99% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$6,775,291 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$23,607 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$434,303 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Cameron Ruppe head coach | Head Coach | On file · sign in |
| Reece Cato | Volunteer Coach | On file · sign in |
Put Mercer University on a target list, address the whole staff at once, and send each email yourself from Gmail — nothing goes out without you pressing Send.Start your board
Recruiting timing
- Coaches may first contact youJune 15 after sophomore year
- Your own emailsAny time the rule limits what coaches send back
- High-school cross country players241,565 2024-25
- Division I roster spots854 314 programs
- Odds of a spot1 in 280 0.35% of high-school players hold a Division I roster spot
General NCAA rule for Division I; the men's cross country recruiting guide has the date for each grad year, the eligibility checklist and what to put in a first email.
About the school
What an athlete asks first — each panel opens the full picture.Campus
Full picture →4,807undergraduates · 9,124 students in all
Women 66% Men 34%
- Setting
- City
- Type
- Private · Research university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →66%admitted · of 11,058 applicants
SAT middle 50%1180 – 1350
ACT middle 50%25 – 31
- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 73%
Men's Cross Country
Full picture →16on the roster · 2024–25 season
Roster vs the D-I cap of 1716
room for 1
Academic Progress Rate1000
100% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $352,083 $22,005 per roster spot · top 10% of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 0 assistant
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $6,775,291
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $434,303
Cost
Full picture →$24,197net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $33,380
Campus safety
Full picture →2.03violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 3 burglaries · 49 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 1 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →21%of bachelor's degrees in health professions & nursing · 24 fields · Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research Mercer University
School pages built around what an athlete needs to know — the program's money and roster room, admissions fit, what a family really pays, majors, campus life and safety.
Men's Cross Country program16 on the rosterPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions66% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$24,197 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsHealth professions & nursing · 21%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusCity · 4,807Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety2.03 violent / 1,000Three years of reported offences against the divisionAthleticsEvery teamThe whole department: every team, staff and aid
Men's Cross Country programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Valley State University Division II · Southern Intercol. Ath. Conf. | 25 | 11 | $42k | — | 63% | |
| Georgia College Division II · Peach Belt Conference | 30 | 13 | $73k | — | 88% | |
| Georgia Southwestern State University Division II · Peach Belt Conference | 63 | 7 | $16k | — | 77% | |
| Clayton State University Division II · Peach Belt Conference | 66 | 11 | $44k | — | 71% | |
| Emory University Division III · University Athletic Association | 77 | — | — | — | 11% | |
| Morehouse College Division II · Southern Intercol. Ath. Conf. | 77 | — | — | — | 51% | |
| Clark Atlanta University Division II · Southern Intercol. Ath. Conf. | 77 | 10 | $88k | — | 65% | |
| Georgia Institute of Technology Division I · Atlantic Coast Conference | 78 | — | — | 991 | 16% | |
| Columbus State University Division II · Peach Belt Conference | 78 | 14 | $77k | — | 99% | |
| University of Georgia Division I · Southeastern Conference | 79 | — | — | 981 | 37% | |
| LaGrange College Division III · Collegiate Conference of the South | 82 | — | — | — | 63% | |
| Oglethorpe University Division III · Southern Athletic Association | 82 | — | — | — | 60% |
Other men's cross country programs in the Southern Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer University room for 1 | 16 | $352k | $22,005 | 1000 | vs | |
| Tennessee Technological University room for 9 | 8 | $223k | $27,817 | 993 | vs | |
| University of Tennessee at Chattanooga room for 4 | 13 | $172k | $13,249 | 993 | vs | |
| East Tennessee State University at cap | 17 | $133k | $7,802 | 995 | vs | |
| Furman University | — | — | — | 1000 | vs | |
| Samford University | — | — | — | 1000 | vs | |
| The Citadel | — | — | — | 1000 | vs | |
| The University of North Carolina at Greensboro | — | — | — | 992 | vs | |
| Virginia Military Institute | — | — | — | 968 | vs | |
| Western Carolina University | — | — | — | 971 | vs | |
| Wofford College | — | — | — | 988 | vs |
Every Southern Conference men's cross country program · Men's Cross Country budgets ranked