2025 NCAA DIII Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Preseason

NEW ORLEANS – Cross country is back!

Here is the preseason edition of the NCAA DIII Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings for the 2025 season, as released on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Regional Rankings are determined subjectively by a single member coach in each respective region. The regional representative is tasked with weighing returning teams’ strength with current season results (if applicable) in determining a rank-order of squad potential. Only USTFCCCA member programs are eligible to receive a ranking. Teams with provisional status within the region may be ranked.

Regional Championships Saturday is set for November 15.

East Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 MIT

Next in Line: No. 2 Tufts

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Bates, No. 4 Suffolk (Mass.), No. 5 Bowdoin

Notes: Four-time defending regional champion – and defending national champion – MIT headlines the preseason rankings. The Engineers return six of their top-seven runners from last year’s squad, including four athletes who finished among the top-15 at the regional meet: Lexi Fernandez (tenth), Kate Sanderson (11th), Ava Hartman (12th), and Heather Jensen (13th).

Tufts took runner-up honors behind MIT last year and sits second to begin the season. The Jumbos, who rank ahead of Bates, Suffolk (Mass.) and Bowdoin, welcome back two star athletes in Elizabeth Donahue and Zoe Margolies. Donahue was the individual runner-up at the regional meet last year behind Rachel Brennan, while Margolies finished eighth as a freshman.

Great Lakes Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Trine

Next in Line: No. 2 Calvin

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 DePauw, No. 4 Ohio Wesleyan, No. 5 John Carroll

Notes: Trine holds a top regional ranking for the first time in program history. The Thunder, who finished third at last year’s regional meet, return six of its top-seven runners including Sidney Swick (11th in 2014) and Bailey Puckett (12th in 2024).

2024 runner-up Calvin, which welcomes back five of its top-seven athletes from last year, sits second, followed by 2024 champion DePauw at No. 3, Ohio Wesleyan at No. 4 and John Carroll at No. 5.

Metro Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Swarthmore

Next in Line: No. 2 TCNJ

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Rowan, No. 4 Moravian, No. 5 Stockton

Notes: Swarthmore is projected to win its first regional title since NCAA DIII went to a ten-region model in 2021. The Garnet return five of their top-seven athletes from its regional squad last year, including top-11 finishers Olivia Montini (ninth), Ania Wong (tenth), and Elizabeth Page (11th).

TCNJ is expected to give Swarthmore a run for the regional title. The Lions, who rank second ahead of Rowan, Moravian, and Stockton, did lose four of their top-seven athletes from 2024, but brought in a strong recruiting class led by Teagan Walker and Malissa Morabito.

Mid-Atlantic Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Johns Hopkins

Next in Line: No. 2 Carnegie Mellon

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Gettysburg, No. 4 St. Vincent (Pa.), No. 5 Salisbury

Notes: Johns Hopkins has never been ranked lower than No. 1 regionally at any point of the season and has won 16 consecutive regional titles, so there is no reason to remove the juggernaut from its perch. The Blue Jays welcome back a litany of talent, including Carter Brotherton who finished 25th at the NCAA Championships as a freshman in 2024.

Carnegie Mellon sits second ahead of Gettysburg, St. Vincent (Pa.), and Salisbury, to begin the season. The Tartans return six of their seven athletes from their 2024 regional runner-up team, including two top-ten finishers in Ananya Devpura (fifth) and Orit Shiang (eighth). Shiang took a big step during the track season and won the UAA 10,000-meter title this past spring.

Mideast Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Williams

Next in Line: No. 2 Amherst

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Connecticut College, No. 4 Vassar, No. 5 RPI

Notes: Four-time defending regional champion Williams headlines the preseason rankings. The Ephs return four of their top-five runners from 2024, namely Kate Tuttle. The rising sophomore had a standout freshman campaign on the grass circuit that featured fourth-place efforts at both the NESCAC and Mideast Region Championships and then an eighth-place showing at the NCAA Championships.

Amherst, which ranks ahead of Connecticut College, Vassar, and RPI going into the season, returns several athletes, including Flora Biro and Hannah Stephenson. Biro and Stephenson are both sophomores who finished among the top-20 athletes at the regional championships last year.

Midwest Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 UChicago

Next in Line: No. 2 Washington (Mo.)

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Wartburg, No. 4 Central (Iowa), No. 5 Wheaton (Ill.)

Notes: Defending regional champion UChicago sits atop the preseason rankings in 2025. The Maroons steamrolled the competition last year, but only return two of their top-five runners from that squad – Nora Holmes (seventh) and Estelle Snider (eighth). Holmes and Snider hit another level on the track, as they lowered their 5k PRs to 16:51.12 and 17:06.07, respectively.

Washington (Mo.) sits second in the preseason ahead of Wartburg, Central (Iowa) and Wheaton (Ill.). The Bears welcome back just three of their top-seven runners from last year, but all finished among the top-20 athletes regionally – Katie Rector (16th), Jillian Heth (17th), and Lucinda Laughlin (20th).

Niagara Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 NYU

Next in Line: No. 2 SUNY Geneseo

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Rochester (N.Y.), No. 4 Hamilton, No. 5 Ithaca

Notes: Defending regional champion NYU sits atop the preseason rankings in 2025. The Violets, who beat SUNY Geneseo by just four points in 2024, return a strong contingent that includes five top-ten finishes from that regional squad: Janie Cooper (third), Kate Cochran (fifth), Josephine Dziedzic (seventh), Lucy Gott (eighth), and Daniela Sekhar (ninth).

The Knights, who rank second ahead of Rochester (N.Y.), Hamilton, and Ithaca, graduated several standouts, namely Penelope Greene. Depth will need to be SUNY Geneseo’s calling card in 2025 as it doesn’t have a bonafide low stick. Ann Brennan, Ari Reback, and Jill O’Rourke are expected to lead the charge for the Knights this season.  

North Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 UW-La Crosse

Next in Line: No. 2 St. Olaf

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Carleton, No. 4 UW-Eau Claire, No. 5 UW-Whitewater

Notes: Defending champion UW-La Crosse headlines the preseason rankings. The Eagles return two of their top-five runners from that squad, including top-15 finisher Mallory Reiser (11th). UW-La Crosse also welcomes back several athletes who dealt with either illness or injury last season and adds Annika Elliott, a transfer from NCAA DI Wisconsin.

St. Olaf sits second ahead of Carleton, UW-Eau Claire and UW-Whitewater. The Oles finished runner-up regionally last year and return three of their top-five finishers, namely fourth-place individual Lauren Walda.     

South Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Washington and Lee

Next in Line: No. 2 Emory

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Lynchburg, No. 4 Berry, No. 5 Shenandoah

Notes: Defending regional champion Washington and Lee tops the preseason rankings. The Generals return four of their top-seven runners from that squad, namely individual champion Olivia Warr and seventh-place finisher Sophia Breschi. Washington and Lee also landed three freshmen who own 3200-meter PRs of 11:20 or faster.

2024 regional runner-up Emory sits second to begin the season ahead of Lynchburg, Berry, and Shenandoah. The Eagles welcome back four of their top-seven runners from last year, including All-American Madison Tiaffay. Like Washington and Lee, Emory brought in several prep athletes with 3200-meter PRs of 11:15 or faster led by Ella Werkman (5:04/10:48).

West Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps

Next in Line: No. 2 UC Santa Cruz

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Colorado College, No. 4 George Fox, No. 5 Pomona-Pitzer

Notes: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps finds itself in a familiar spot to begin the season – No 1. This is the fifth year in a row that the Athenas have topped the West Region. Look for depth to be their calling card again, as they welcome back 2023 All-American Elle Marsyla and Sara Wexler to an already stacked roster.

UC Santa Cruz is in unfamiliar territory as it has never been ranked higher than third in program history. The second-ranked Banana Slugs are projected ahead of 2024 Cinderella story Colorado College at No. 3, George Fox at No. 4 and Pomona-Pitzer at No. 5.