The Lone Star Conference released its 2025 Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll, ranking St. Edward's fifth in the conference and listing seniors
MIA RIVERA and
JULIANA MERLO as Runners to Watch.
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St. Edward's returns three of its top five runners from the 2024 LSC Championships, led by Rivera, who owns the program's 6K record, and Merlo, who ranks second in program history. The rest of a solid senior class includes
MYLA CASTILLO,
DELANEY LONG, and
JENNA SAUNDERS.Â
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The Hilltoppers begin the season at the UT Tyler Open on Saturday under the direction of new head coach Chase Rathke. The LSC Championships are on October 25, in Fort Worth, Texas, the NCAA South Central Regional is in Pueblo, Colorado, on November 8, and the National Championship is November 22 in Wisconsin.Â
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2025 LSC WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON POLL, RUNNERS TO WATCH
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Preseason Poll
| Rank |
Team (1st) |
Total |
| 1 |
West Texas A&M (30) |
510 |
| 2 |
DBU (2) |
472 |
| 3 |
Midwestern State |
424 |
| 4 |
Oklahoma Christian |
391 |
| 5 |
St. Edward's |
376 |
| 6 |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
325 |
| T7 |
Cameron |
308 |
| T7 |
UT Tyler |
308 |
| 9 |
Angelo State |
240 |
| 10 |
Lubbock Christian |
224 |
| 11 |
Texas A&M International |
200 |
| 12 |
Western New Mexico |
197 |
| 13 |
UT Dallas |
134 |
| 14 |
Eastern New Mexico |
104 |
| 15 |
UT Permian Basin |
101 |
| 16 |
Sul Ross State |
38 |
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Runners to Watch
| Athlete |
Team |
Cl. |
Major |
Hometown |
| Chasity Benson |
Angelo State |
So. |
Biology |
Roby, Texas |
| Noa Arguilera-Duarte |
Cameron |
Fr. |
Sport & Exercise Science |
Mijas, Spain |
| Marie Sommer |
Cameron |
Gr. |
Psychology |
Muenster, Germany |
| Lesli Salas |
DBU |
Jr. |
Commercial Art |
San Angelo, Texas |
| KayCee Keller |
DBU |
Gr. |
Master of Arts in Psychology |
Lavernia, Texas |
| Chama El Hadiri |
Eastern New Mexico |
Fr. |
Business Administration |
Marrakech, Morocco |
| Elizabeth Lujan-Towles |
Eastern New Mexico |
So. |
Visual Art |
Chimayo, N.M. |
| Olivia Weider |
Lubbock Christian |
Gr. |
Teaching |
Henndorf, Austria |
| Ella Pando |
Midwestern State |
Sr. |
Biology |
Weatherford, Texas |
| Jayden Dangerfield |
Midwestern State |
Sr. |
Computer Science |
Lancaster, Texas |
| Kinley Kite |
Oklahoma Christian |
So. |
Early Childhood Education |
Norman, Okla. |
| Brooke Latham |
Oklahoma Christian |
Sr. |
Psychology |
Amarillo, Texas |
| MIA RIVERA |
St. Edward's |
Sr. |
Kinesiology |
El Paso, Texas |
| JULIANA MERLO |
St. Edward's |
Sr. |
Psychology |
San Antonio, Texas |
| Olivia Hoelscher |
Sul Ross State |
Fr. |
Natural Resource Mgmt. |
Ballinger, Texas |
| Samantha Viruel |
Texas A&M International |
Fr. |
Pre-Engineering |
Laredo, Texas |
| Dania Sepulveda |
Texas A&M International |
Fr. |
Criminal Justice |
Laredo, Texas |
| Ivanova Yates |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
Gr. |
Kinesiology |
Hollywood, Fla. |
| Kayla Trevino |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
Fr. |
Kinesiology/Pre-Phys. Therapy |
Kingsville, Texas |
| Bharvi Varu |
UT Dallas |
So. |
Computer Info Systems |
Austin, Texas |
| Ellie Suo-Anttila |
UT Dallas |
Jr. |
Biomedical Engineering |
Albuquerque, N.M. |
| Gabrielle Garcia |
UT Permian Basin |
Fr. |
Criminology/Criminal Justice |
Midland, Texas |
| Celine Maldanado |
UT Permian Basin |
Fr. |
Criminology |
Midland, Texas |
| Kailynn Denney |
UT Tyler |
Jr. |
Finance |
Killeen, Texas |
| Macy Cogburn |
UT Tyler |
So. |
Nursing |
Sanger, Texas |
| Julie Lafare |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
Sports & Exercise Science |
Uzes, France |
| Naomi Addo |
West Texas A&M |
So. |
Health Sciences |
Accra, Ghana |
| Aubrey Lozoya |
Western New Mexico |
Sr. |
Zoology |
Albuquerque, N.M. |
| Vanessa Dominguez |
Western New Mexico |
Sr. |
Business |
Albuquerque, N.M. |
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