Women's Cross Country | 8/19/2026 3:00:00 PM

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference today continued its release of the fall sports preseason polls with the announcement of the 2026 PSAC Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll. Gannon was picked to finish ninth out of 17 teams.

East Stroudsburg was selected as the preseason favorite by the PSAC's coaches, receiving 12 first-place votes. Edinboro garnered three first-place votes and was picked to finish second.

Bloomsburg and West Chester each received one first-place vote and were selected third and fourth, respectively. Shippensburg rounds out the top five, followed by Kutztown in sixth, Slippery Rock in seventh and Millersville in eighth. 

The Golden Knights hold down the ninth spot in the poll.

Gannon is coming off a ninth-place finish at the 2025 PSAC Championships and returns its entire top seven from a season ago. Four members of last year's top seven were freshmen and two were sophomores, giving the Golden Knights a young and experienced group heading into 2026.

Leading the list of returners is Emily Bowers (Silver Creek, N.Y./Silver Creek), who put together a historic 2025 season. Bowers won the PSAC individual championship and was named the 2025 PSAC Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year. 

She followed her conference championship with a runner-up finish at the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional before becoming the first Gannon female cross country runner to qualify for the NCAA Division II National Championships.

Alexis Abbett (Aspinwall, Pa./Aquinas Academy) and Megan Ickes (Greenville, Pa./Greenville) also return after strong postseason performances. Abbett placed 37th at the PSAC Championships before improving to 17th at the Atlantic Regional, while Ickes finished 39th at PSACs and 34th at the regional meet.

Gannon also welcomes back Anna Rakvic (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) and Makayla McLister (Butler, Pa./Butler Area). Rakvic finished 91st at the 2025 PSAC Championships and 121st at the Atlantic Regional, while McLister placed 93rd at PSACs and 123rd at the regional meet.

The Golden Knights add newcomer Josephine Holody (), who owns a cross country 5K time of 19:24 along with an 11:41 mark in the 3,200 meters. With no losses from last year's top seven, Gannon enters the season looking to improve upon its ninth-place conference finish.
 
2026 PSAC Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll
(First-place votes in parentheses)

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