EDISON, NJ (Aug. 21, 2025) – Defending men’s cross country champion, Iona University and defending women’s cross country champion, Quinnipiac University, have been voted as the preseason favorites in the 2025 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Preseason Coaches’ Polls, as voted on by the league’s 13 head coaches.
Picked unanimously in the men’s poll, Iona collected all 13 first-place votes for 169 points. The Gaels have won an NCAA record, 34 straight MAAC Men’s Championships dating back to 1991, and the program has claimed a MAAC-leading 39 total men’s titles since the MAAC inception in 1981. In 2024, Iona secured the top six places and 11 out of the top 15 All-MAAC slots, garnering a perfect team score of 15, en route to the team title. Leading the Gaels was 2024 Men’s Most Outstanding Runner and individual champion, Lachlan Wellington, who paced Iona with a MAAC Championship course record finishing time of 23:57.4, becoming Iona’s 24th consecutive individual champion dating back to 2002. Wellington was joined in the top six by teammates, silver medalist Matt Rankin (23:57.6), bronze medalist Aiden Coles (23:57.8), Tristan Coles in fourth place (24:05.6), Tadhg Donnelly in fifth place (24:10.5), and Nick Soldevere (24:10.6) in sixth place.
Finishing second in the men’s poll for the second straight year was Siena University (150), followed by 2024 runner-up Rider University (143) in third place, Merrimack College (123) in fourth place, and Marist University (119) in fifth place to round out the league’s top five.
On the women’s side, Quinnipiac received 166 points and 10 first place votes to lead the poll. The Bobcats captured the 2024 MAAC Women’s Championship last season, scoring a 31 to claim their third consecutive conference title, and fourth overall in program history. Quinnipiac had five runners secure top 15 finishes and earn All-MAAC accolades. Leading the charge for the Bobcats was silver medalist Alessandra Zaffina, who crossed the finish line in a time of 20:45.6. Joining Zaffina in the top five was Rachel St. Germain, who finished fifth with a time of 20:50.1. Sierra Gray (20:51.0), Lauren Selkin (20:56.0), and Corinne Barney (21:05.7), finished in sixth, seventh, and 11th, respectively, to round out Quinnipiac’s All-MAAC honorees.
Picked second in the poll was 2024 runner-up Iona who compiled 155 points and the remaining three first place votes. Rounding out the conference’s top five were Rider (135) in third place, Siena (123) in fourth place, and Marist (118) in fifth place.
The full Men’s and Women’s Preseason Coaches’ Polls can be found below.
| 2025 Men’s Cross Country Preseason Coaches’ Poll |
| 1 |
Iona |
169 (13) |
| 2 |
Siena |
150 |
| 3 |
Rider |
143 |
| 4 |
Merrimack |
123 |
| 5 |
Marist |
119 |
| 6 |
Canisius |
104 |
| 7 |
Mount St. Mary’s |
87 |
| 8 |
Manhattan |
70 |
| 9 |
Fairfield |
65 |
| 10 |
Sacred Heart |
49 |
| 11 |
Quinnipiac |
46 |
| 12 |
Niagara |
45 |
| 13 |
Saint Peter’s |
13 |
| 2025 Women’s Cross Country Preseason Coaches’ Poll |
| 1 |
Quinnipiac |
166 (10) |
| 2 |
Iona |
155 (3) |
| 3 |
Rider |
135 |
| 4 |
Siena |
123 |
| 5 |
Marist |
118 |
| 6 |
Sacred Heart |
99 |
| 7 |
Canisius |
83 |
| 8 |
Merrimack |
78 |
| 9 |
Fairfield |
71 |
| 10 |
Manhattan |
50 |
| 11 |
Mount St. Mary’s |
48 |
| 12 |
Niagara |
44 |
| 13 |
Saint Peter’s |
13 |
The 2025 MAAC Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Championships will be held at Twin Ponds on the Farm in Montgomery, New York on Saturday, November 1, 2025. 2025 will mark the third straight year that the championship races will be held at Twin Ponds on the Farm and the meets will be hosted by Manhattan University for the 31st time. For all information regarding the 2025 MAAC Men's & Women’s Cross Country Championships, please visit
maacsports.com/xc.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena University.
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