Women's Cross Country

Slippery Rock selected as 2025 PSAC Preseason Women’s Cross Country Favorite

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University women’s cross country team was selected No. 1 in the 2025 PSAC Women’s Cross Country Preseason Poll, as voted on by the conference’s coaches.  This season The Rock will be vying for their third straight PSAC championship after winning in 2023 and 2024. Slippery Rock received 10 first-place votes and return a pair of First Team All-Conference honorees from the 2024 championship: Ruthie Hughes (third place) and Jennifer Cichra (12th) in addition to a solid group of other returning runners in Carissa Flynn and Tatiana Holt.

East Stroudsburg was selected as the No. 2 team in the 2025 poll and received six first-place votes. The Warriors finished third as a team at the 2024 PSAC meet and returns three top-25 finishers from last year’s championship, Payton Falkenstein (sixth), Carla Bautista (15th), and Gabriela Orama (25th).
 
Shippensburg, the 2024 PSAC championship runner-up, received one first-place vote and finished as the No. 3 team in this year’s poll. The Raiders return a pair of runners that were top-25 at last year’s PSAC meet, including Ella Hartel (seventh) and Olivia Rieck (24th).
 
The No. 4 team in this year’s poll is the Kutztown Golden Bears. KU finished fourth as a team in the 2024 championship and returns top-20 finishers Deandra Young (10th), Maura Lenhart (14th), and Sophia Knerr (19th).
 
Bloomsburg enters the 2025 season ranked as the No. 5 team and looks to improve on their fifth-place finish at last year’s PSAC championship. The Huskies return Amanda Kelly (16th at that meet) and Josephine Reed (33rd).
 
Rounding out the top 10 teams in the 2025 Women’s Cross Country Preseason Poll is No. 6 Millersville, No. 7 West Chester, No. 8 Edinboro, No. 9 Lock Haven, and No. 10 Gannon.
 
The remaining seven teams and their preseason rankings can be found below.

2025 PSAC Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll (# of first-place votes in parentheses)
 
1. Slippery Rock (10)
2. East Stroudsburg (6)
3. Shippensburg (1)
4. Kutztown
5. Bloomsburg
6. Millersville
7. West Chester
8. Edinboro
9. Lock Haven
10. Gannon
11. IUP
12. Clarion
13. California
14. Pitt-Johnstown
15. Seton Hill
16. Mansfield
17. Shepherd