SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University women's cross country team was voted fifth in the 2026 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll released Wednesday afternoon by the conference office.
 
The preseason coaches' poll is selected by the league's coaches. The conference does not allow coaches to vote for their own team in the preseason polls.
 
East Stroudsburg received 12 out of the 16 possible first-place votes it could have received. Edinboro received three first-place votes and ranks second, while Bloomsburg and West Chester slot third and fourth. The Huskies and the Golden Rams each earned one first-place vote.
 
Shippensburg is under the direction of Steve Spence, who enters his 29th season leading the Raiders in 2026. The Raiders finished in seventh place at last year's conference meet after posting a second-place finish in 2024.
 
SU enters the season with a 19-person roster that includes 11 returning runners and seven first-year recruits and one transfer. The team has three athletes who have earned All-PSAC accolades in the past – sophomore Mya Trotty (11th place last season), Victoria Bartholomew (25th place last season) and Ella Hartel (seventh place in 2024).
 
Shippensburg begins its season Friday, September 4 when it hosts the Galen Piper Cross Country Challenge at the campus recreation complex.
 
2026 PSAC Preseason Women's Cross Country Poll
(First-place votes are indicated in parentheses; teams are not allowed to vote for themselves)
 
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