2026 Roster  |  2026 Schedule
 
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University women's cross country team was picked to finish seventh at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships this fall according to the PSAC Preseason Coaches Poll that was announced Wednesday.
 
Defending PSAC champion East Stroudsburg was picked atop the poll with 12 first place votes. Edinboro was picked second with three first place votes. Bloomsburg and West Chester were third and fourth with one first place vote each and Shippensburg rounded out the top five.
 
Kutztown was picked sixth, followed by SRU in seventh with Millersville, Gannon and Clarion rounding out the top 10.
 
The Rock are coming off a sixth place showing at the 2025 PSAC Championships and a eighth place finish at the Atlantic Region Championships last fall.
 
Slippery Rock returns two All-PSAC runners from last season in the form of Carissa Flynn and Hannah Burgoon, who finished 17th and 21st at the conference meet last fall. Those two are the only returning scorers from the 2025 PSAC meet.
 
In addition to the two returning scorers, SRU also welcomes back six more runners from its 12-woman lineup at the PSAC meet last fall, including Sydney Heltzell, Kayla Hanna, Marabelle Thornberry, Lexie Wyant, Tatiana Holt and Caitlin Willer.
 
In total, Slippery Rock's roster features 16 women with collegiate cross country experience. Joining the group mentioned above are seniors Lizzie Higgins an Caitlin Mann, junior Birtukan Hartman and sophomores Emily Grosch, Addie McPeek, Mia Medved, Sloane Potter and Rylie Teapole.
 
That group will be joined by 12 true freshmen to make up a total roster of 28 women. The freshman class includes Sienna Bokoch, Mackenzie Chamberlain, Kayla Flanigan, Adi Jackson, Lila Miller, Brynleigh Moody, Bella Tatar, Addison Weber, Caroline Wilson, Kaydence Wisner, Annie Woller and Claire Wonders.
 
Slippery Rock will unofficially open the season next Saturday with the annual SRU Alumni Race on campus Aug. 29 and will officially open the competition season Sept. 5 on the road at Edinboro's Doug Watts Open. The Rock will compete just five times during the regular season with races at Robert Morris (Sept. 11), Lock Haven (Sept. 26), Carnegie Mellon (Oct. 10) and Lock Haven (Oct. 24).
 
The PSAC Championships are set for Nov. 7 at Kutztown University. The NCAA Atlantic Region meet will be hosted by Winston-Salem State University Nov. 21 in Kernersville, North Carolina and the National Championships are slated for Dec. 4 at the Division II Fall Festival in Lawrence, Kansas.
 
2026 PSAC Women's XC Preseason Coaches Poll (1st place votes)
1. East Stroudsburg (12)
2. Edinboro (3)
3. Bloomsburg (1)
4. West Chester (1)
5. Shippensburg
6. Kutztown
7. Slippery Rock
8. Millersville
9. Gannon
10. Clarion
11. Lock Haven
12. California
13. IUP
14. Pitt-Johnstown
15. Mansfield
16. Seton Hill
17. Shepherd




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