ST. PAUL – The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) released the 2026 Women’s Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll on Thursday with Crown College being predicted to win the conference championship. The poll is voted on by all the head coaches in the conference. Coaches cannot vote for their own team.
Complete poll:
| Place |
School |
Points |
| 1 |
Crown (5) |
35 |
| 2 |
Northwestern (2) |
32 |
| 3 |
Martin Luther |
23 |
| 4 |
UW-Superior |
22 |
| 5 |
Bethany Lutheran |
16 |
| 6 |
Minnesota Morris |
13 |
| 7 |
North Central |
6 |
#1 Crown: 34 points
The Polars led the preseason poll with 35 points and five first-place votes from their conference competitors.
Crown finished second at the 2025 UMAC Cross Country Championships with 45 points. Ella Dufault is the two-time reigning individual conference champion.
Head Coach: Grant DeWitt | 4th season |
Top Returners:
- Ella Dufault, Sr. | 2024 UMAC XC Champion, 2025 UMAC XC Champion | NCCAA Individual Champion 2023, 2024, 2025 | 2025 Championships: 1st , 23:12, 1st team finisher |
- Lindsey Morrison, Jr.| 2025 All-UMAC | UMAC Outdoor Track & Field 800m Record Holder | 2025 Championships: 5th, 24:00, 2nd team finisher |
- Ruth Brueckner, Sr.| 2025 All-UMAC| 2022 UMAC Indoor Track & Field Rookie of the Year | 2025 Championships: 10th, 24:23, 3rd team finisher |
#2 Northwestern: 32 points
The Eagles received 32 points and the remaining two first-place votes. They are the reigning UMAC Champions as they won the 2025 title with 30 points.
Head Coach: Patrick Fitzgerald| 3rd Season
Top Returners
- Emery Maki, Sr.| 2025 All-UMAC|2025 Championship 2nd, 23:17, 1st team finisher|
- Natalie Van De Riet SR| 2025 All-UMAC|2025 Championship 4th, 23:51, 2nd team finisher|
#3 Martin Luther: 23 points
The Knights earned 23 points for the third spot in the poll.
Head Coach: Breanna Olson | 7th Season |
Top Returners:
- Jemimah Habben, Jr. | two-time First-team All-UMAC | 2025 Championships: 3rd, 23:33.2, 1st team finisher |
- Grace Hahm, So. | 1x Second-team All-UMAC | 2025 Championships: 12th, 24:50.4, 2nd team finisher |
- Mariah Schultz, Jr. | 2025 Championships: 40th, 28:07.6, 10th team finisher |
#4 UW-Superior: 22 points
UW-Superior ranked fourth in the poll with 22 points.
Head Coach: Glen Drexler | 17th Season |
Top Returners:
- Simone Stephens, Jr.| First-team All-UMAC| 2024 Championships: 3rd, 23:29.0, 1st team finisher|
- Lilley Smith, Jr. | Second-team All-UMAC | 2025 Championships: 18th, 25:33.3, 1st team finisher|
- Amelia Olson, So. | 2025 Championships: 22nd, 26:13.8, 2nd team finisher|
#5 Bethany Lutheran: 16 points
The Vikings received 16 points for the fifth spot.
Head Coach: Dom Santina | 2nd Season |
Top Returners:
- Campbell Amundson, So. | UMAC Rookie of The Year, All-UMAC|2025 Championships: 8th place, 24:16.4, 1st team finisher|
- Taryn Zellmann, Jr. | 2025 Championships: 38th, 28:00.2, 2nd team finisher|
- Gracelyn Malacek, So. | 2025 Championships: 60th, 33:24.0, 5th team finisher|
#6 Minnesota Morris: 13 points
The Cougars ranked sixth with 13 points.
Head Coach: Caroline Collet-Cruise | 2nd season |
Top Returners:
- Sylvia Pesch, Sr. | UMAC Honors: Second-team All-UMAC| 2025 Championships: 9th, 24:19, #1 team finisher |
- Lindsey Hause, Jr. | Coach Finanger Spirit Award Winner| 2025 Championships: 33rd, 27:05, #2 team finisher |
- Ava Miller, So. | UMAC Honors: All-Sportsmanship |2025 Championships: 44th, 28:47, #3 team finisher |
#7 North Central: 6 points
The Rams completed the poll with six points.
Head Coach: Mel Anderson | 1st Season
Top Returners:
- Joyce Horton, Jr. | All-UMAC in 400 hurdles at 2026 Outdoor Championships
- Anna Deichert, Grad. |
Conference Championship
The 2026 UMAC Women's Cross Country Championship will be held Saturday, Oct. 31 in Winthrop, Minnesota. The athletes will be running a six-kilometer course. The event will be hosted at the Winthrop Golf Club.