WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY PICKED SECOND IN PRE-CHAMPIONSHIP POLL

WINTHROP, Mass. — Heading into the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Cross Country Championship, the conference's 10 head coaches have voted Emmanuel College the favorite in the 2026 pre-championship poll. The defending champion Saints earned eight first-place votes and 116 points to claim the top spot.

Saint Joseph's College of Maine follows in second with three first-place votes and 111 points. Norwich University ranks third with 93 points, followed by Colby-Sawyer College in fourth with 90 points and Simmons University in fifth with 70 points.

Regis College ranks sixth with 63 points, followed by Lasell University in seventh with 57 points and Elms College in eighth with 43 points. New England College ranks ninth with 32 points, Mitchell College sits in 10th with 21 points, and Dean College rounds out the poll in 11th with 20 points.

RUNNERS TO WATCH:

Freshman Haley Marston (Greene, Maine) enters her first GNAC Championship after winning the Coach Dann Runnin' Monks Classic in 24:56.0, leading Saint Joseph's to a perfect score of 15. She also placed sixth at the GNAC Preview in 26:08.7.

Junior Haley Williams (Winthrop, Maine) earned First Team All-Conference honors with a seventh-place finish in 25:02 last fall. She enters this year's championship following a runner-up finish at the Coach Dann Classic in 25:17.9.

Sophomore Amber Pendleton (Warren, Maine), the reigning GNAC Rookie of the Year, placed sixth in 24:53 to earn First Team All-Conference honors last fall. She led the Monks at this year's GNAC Preview, finishing fifth in 25:59.7 to help Saint Joseph's place second.
 

Women's XC Pre-Championship Poll Results

1. Emmanuel (8) – 116
2. Saint Joseph's (Maine) (3) – 111
3. Norwich – 93
4. Colby-Sawyer – 90
5. Simmons – 70
6. Regis – 63
7. Lasell – 57
8. Elms – 43
9. New England College – 32
10. Mitchell – 21
11. Dean – 20