OXFORD, Ohio- The two-time defending River States Conference champions from Indiana University East were picked to make it three in a row, finishing in first place in the 2025 RSC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The poll, announced Tuesday by the River States Conference office, saw each of the conference's eleven head coaches rank the other member schools in order of predicted finish.
The Red Wolves dominated the 2024 RSC Cross Country Championships in Evansville, winning the team title with 47 points. IU East received nine of eleven first place votes, with Shawnee State and Rio Grande following to round out the top three. Both Shawnee State and Rio Grande earned a first place vote, with Shawnee State boasting the top returning runner from 2024, First Team All-Conference selection Olivia Cisco, now a senior.
After the top three, Midway was picked to finish fourth, IU Kokomo checks in at fifth, while the Pomeroys of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods are picked to finish in the middle of the conference, at sixth place. The bottom half of the poll sees IU Columbus seventh, Brescia eighth, WVU Tech ninth, Oakland City tenth, and RSC newcomer Kentucky Christian rounding out the conference at eleventh.
The River States cross country schedule is scheduled to begin Friday, August 29, with five teams in competition, including three at the Thundering Herd Invitational on the campus of Marshall University in West Virginia. The season will culminate in Rio Grande, Ohio on Saturday, November 8, when a champion is decided at the River States Conference Cross Country Championships, with the University of Rio Grande serving as host school.
2025 RSC PRESEASON WOMEN's CROSS COUNTRY COACHES' POLL
1. IU East (99 points, 9 first place votes)
2. Shawnee State (90 points, 1 first place vote)
3. Rio Grande (83 points, 1 first place vote)
4. Midway (71 points)
5. IU Kokomo (67 points)
6. St. Mary-of-the-Woods (55 points)
7. IU Columbus (44 points)
8. Brescia (38 points)
9. WVU Tech (27 points)
10. Oakland City (21 points)
11. Kentucky Christian (10 points)