2025 Roster  |  2025 Schedule
 
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University women's cross country team was picked to win a third straight title at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships this fall according to the PSAC Preseason Coaches Poll that was announced Wednesday.
 
The Rock earned 10 of a possible 17 first place votes to sit atop the preseason poll after claiming back-to-back conference titles in 2023 and 2024. East Stroudsburg, which finished third last fall, was picked second with six first place votes. Last year's runner-up, Shippensburg, was picked third with one first place vote. Kutztown and Bloomsburg rounded out the top five.
 
Slippery Rock enters the 2025 season looking for a third straight PSAC title and a third straight trip to the National Championships. The Rock conference titles in both 2023 and 2024 and took second in the Atlantic Region Championships in each of the last two years.
 
To win a third straight title, SRU will have to overcome the loss of one of the top runners in program history with the graduation of Anna Igims, who won both the PSAC and Atlantic Region individual titles last year before becoming the first women's cross country All-American at SRU since 2010. SRU also loses two-time All-PSAC honoree Maddie Grillo to graduation.
 
Despite the losses, The Rock return a stellar team that includes four All-PSAC honorees from the 2024 conference meet, headlined by third place finisher Ruthie Hughes and 12th place finisher Jennifer Cichra, who both earned first team All-PSAC honors. Hughes went on to a have a strong track season and won the PSAC title in the 10,000-meter run in the spring. Also back are a pair of sophomores that earned second team All-PSAC honors in their true freshman seasons in Carrissa Flynn and Tatiana Holt, who also got experience at the regional and national championship meets in 2024.
 
SRU also returns experienced upperclassmen Hannah Burgoon, Skye Hackathorn, Lydia Valeriano and Grace Dahlke, as well as sophomore Caitlin Willer, who all raced at the PSAC meet in 2024. Burgoon just missed out on the All-PSAC finishes last fall, but is coming off a strong spring season that saw her earn All-PSAC honors in the steeplechase on the track.
 
Slippery Rock added one graduate transfer entering the fall with Gwen Lloyd coming over from Lock Haven. Lloyd is a former All-PSAC honoree and was named the 2024 PSAC Champion Scholar Award winner for owning the highest GPA of all women competing at the PSAC meet.
 
In addition to the returners mentioned above, The Rock welcomes back six other returners including Ava Holbrook, Lexie Wyant, Lizzie Higgins, Caitlin Mann, Sydney Pitcovich and Birtukan Hartman. All but Hartman have collegiate experience, while Hartman redshirted her freshman season in 2024-25 and will make her collegiate debut this fall.
 
The 16 athletes with collegiate experience will be joined by eight freshmen to make up the roster of 24 women this fall. The first-year student-athletes include Emily Grosch (Russell, Pa.), Kayla Hanna (Cranberry, Pa.), Sydney Heltzell (Cranberry Township, Pa.), Addison McPeek (Easton, Pa.), Mia Medved (Point Marion, Pa.), Sloane Potter (Greensburg, Pa.), Rylie Teapole (Beaver, Pa.) and Marabella Thornberry (Senecaville, Ohio).
 
Slippery Rock will unofficially open the season this Saturday with the annual SRU Alumni Race on campus and will officially open the competition season Sept. 6 on the road at Edinboro's Doug Watts Open. The Rock will compete just four times during the regular season with races at Allegheny (Sept. 20), Lock Haven (Sept. 27) and Carnegie Mellon (Oct. 11).
 
The PSAC Championships are set for Oct. 25 at Edinboro. The NCAA Atlantic Region meet will be Nov. 8 at Lock Haven and the National Championships are slated for Nov. 22 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
 
2025 PSAC Women's XC Preseason Coaches Poll (1st place votes)
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. Indiana (Pa.)
12. Clarion
13. California (Pa.)
14. Pitt-Johnstown
15. Seton Hill
16. Mansfield
17. Shepherd



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