BURNSVILLE, Minn. --- The Minnesota State women's cross country team has been picked to finish second in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.

As a team, Minnesota State received one first-place vote and 202 points to claim the second spot in the poll. Winona State topped the poll with 219 points and 11 first-place votes, while Augustana followed right behind MSU in third place with 201 points and three first-place votes. Minnesota Duluth (181 points) and UMary (179 points) rounded out the top-five.

Last season, Winona State finished first at the NCAA Championships with 28 points, with the Mavericks following in second place with 57 points. At the NCAA Championships, the Mavericks would finish in fourth place with 141 points to advance to the NCAA Championships. Minnesota State would go on to finish 19th at the NCAA Championships out of 34 teams with a score of 483.

Maverick junior Mileena Sullivan has been named MSU's Athlete to Watch for the upcoming 2026 season. Last season, Sullivan garnered All-NSIC Second Team honors as she took 15th place at the NSIC Championships with a time of 22:36.80. She went on to finish 42nd (22:14.38) at the NCAA Central Region Championships, before posting a time of 22:02.01 at the NCAA Championships to finish 117th.

Sophomore Tara Hertling also earned All-NSIC Second Team honors last season as she took 19th place at the NSIC Championships with a time of 22:51.60. At the regional championships, Hertling posted a time of 22:34.56 (65th) before recording a time of 22:23.20 (155th) at the NCAA Championships.

Minnesota State opens its 2026 campaign at the Augie Twilight in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Friday, Sept. 4. The event will be held at Yankton Trail Park at 8:45 p.m.

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