LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – As voted on by the conference’s coaches, the Slippery Rock University women’s cross country team was selected No. 1 in the 2024 PSAC Women’s Cross Country Preseason Poll. The Rock, defending champions of the 2023 PSAC Women’s Cross Country meet, received eight first-place votes and return a pair of top-10 finishers from that championship: Anna Igims (third place) and Ruthie Hughes (eighth) in addition to a solid group of other returning runners in Maddie Grillo, Jen Cichra, and Lexie Wyant.
Bloomsburg was selected as the No. 2 team in the 2024 poll and received six first-place votes. The Huskies finished second as a team at the 2023 PSAC meet and returns their entire group of top seven runners from a year ago, including PSAC meet top-25 finishers Kelley Selheimer (fourth), Amanda Kelly (24
th), and Alyssa Cunningham (25
th).
Shippensburg, which finished fifth as a team at both last year’s PSAC and Regional meet, received three first-place votes and was voted the No. 3 team in this year’s poll. The Raiders return three runners that were top-35 at last year’s PSAC meet, including Olivia Rieck (ninth), Morgan Hess (28
th), and Victoria Mattioli (32
nd).
The No. 4 team in this year’s poll is the East Stroudsburg Warriors. ESU finished fourth as a team in the 2023 meet and returns top-35 finishers Carla Bautista (29
th) and Payton Falkenstein (35) along with a core group of other runners.
Millersville enters the 2024 season ranked as the No. 5 team and enters the season with 31 women on the team. The Marauders look to improve on their sixth-place finish at last year’s PSAC meet and return Morgan Janiuk (10
th at that meet), Hannah Sweda (23
rd), Brianna Pollock (38
th), and Olivia Sunderland (44
th.)
Rounding out the top 10 teams in the 2024 Women’s Cross Country Preseason Poll is No. 6 Kutztown, No. 7 Edinboro, No. 8 Lock Haven, No. 9 California, and No. 10 West Chester.
The remaining eight teams and their preseason rankings can be found below.
2024 PSAC Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll (# of first-place votes in parentheses)
1. Slippery Rock (8)
2. Bloomsburg (6)
3. Shippensburg (3)
4. East Stroudsburg
5. Millersville
6. Kutztown
7. Edinboro
8. Lock Haven
9. California
10. West Chester
11. Seton Hill
12. Clarion
13. IUP
14. Gannon
15. Pitt-Johnstown
16. Mansfield
17. Shepherd