ANNVILLE, PA (October 28, 2026) -- Ahead of Saturday's Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Women's Cross Country Championships, the conference office released its pre-championship coaches' poll Wednesday. The Monarchs were selected to finish 12th with 112 points, just ahead of Stevenson University and FDU-Florham.

Messiah University is favored to win the meet, earning 284 points and 13 first-place votes. Misericordia University follows in second with 275 points and five first-place votes, while defending champions Lebanon Valley College is projected to finish third with 240 points.

This year's championships will be hosted by Stevenson University at the Greenspring Cross Country Course, where the Monarchs have already competed earlier this season. The women's 6,000-meter race is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. on Oct. 31, with the awards ceremony set for 1:15 p.m.

Spectators should follow Villa Julie Drive to the parking lot at the back of campus, and carpooling is strongly encouraged. Tailgating is prohibited at the event, and admission is free. Pets are not permitted, with the exception of leashed service animals.

Limited championship merchandise will be available for purchase on-site while supplies last. Fans can also order apparel online through the Men's Championship Gear and Women's Championship Gear stores. Directions, parking information and course maps are available on the Championship Central page.

The Monarchs enter the championships looking to build on a season of personal-best performances and secure a strong team finish. First-year Savannah Cronauer leads the team with a season-best time of 24:33.7, recorded at the Lock Haven Invitational. Sarah Hartzell also posted a personal best at the Aubrey Shenk Invitational, finishing in 25:58.1.

Evelyn Sahd recorded a personal-best time of 25:24.0 at the Lock Haven Invite. First-year Madalyn Danko has been a consistent contributor to the team's scoring, posting her season-best time of 26:40.6 at the Aubrey Shenk Invite. Mara Ryan has additionally contributed, recording her season-best time of 27:04.7 at the same meet.

The Monarchs look to build on their progress throughout the season and deliver a powerful team performance at the conference championships.

The MAC Pre-Championship Polls are below:

2026 MAC Women's Cross Country Pre-Championship Coaches' Poll