The 1938 NCAA Cross Country Championship was the first annual cross country meet to determine the team and individual national champions of men's collegiate cross country running in the United States.
Prior to 1938, the national championship for collegiate cross country was organized, first, by the Inter-Collegiate Cross Country Association (1899 to 1907) and, second, the Inter-Collegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America (1907 to 1939).
In total, 12 teams and 50 individual runners contested this championship.
[1] The meet was hosted by Michigan State College at the Forest Akers East Golf Course in East Lansing, Michigan.
The inaugural team national championship was won by the Indiana Hoosiers while the individual championship was won by Greg Rice, from Notre Dame, with a time of 20:12.9.