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Cross Country

2025 ODAC Cross Country Preview

FOREST, Va. --- Division III action is less than 24 hours away with the start of the new academic year on Friday. That includes the kickoff of the ODAC's 50th year of operation and the start of a new cross country season. Several schools are in action on Friday and most will compete by the end of the weekend, so let's take a look at what to expect this fall.

WATCH: ODAC associate commissioner J.J. Nekoloff is joined by two of the league's head coaches in previewing the upcoming season.

  • Mike Dager: the head coach of ODAC champion Washington and Lee women's cross country helped lead the Generals to not only an ODAC title, but a regional crown and an eighth-place team showing in the national championships to mark the best season in program history in 2024
  • Andy Marrocco: veteran mentor of the Shenandoah men's and women's cross country and track & field programs is also a member of the Division III Cross Country Championship Committee, which is charged with the setup and operation of the NCAA regional and national championships

 
Watch the video (click the photo above) to get all the details about the upcoming season. Below we have included a few extra notes to help augment your preview of the upcoming season.

    • The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released its annual preseason regional and national rankings on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
    • Women's Rankings
      • Regional Poll: ODAC teams account for four of the 10 ranked squads in the South Region with defending regional champion Washington and Lee leading the charge; the top-five in the rankings – WLU, Emory University, Lynchburg, Berry College, and Shenandoah – held those same positions at the end of 2024; Bridgewater slots eighth to account for the remaining ODAC school
      • National Poll: Washington and Lee finished eighth at the Division III championships in November and open this season as the 11th-ranked squad in the country
        • The top-five positions in the national poll are owned defending champion MIT, Williams College, University of Chicago, NYU, and Johns Hopkins University
    • Men's Rankings
      • Regional Poll: Washington and Lee tops the South Region for the first time in program history as one of four ODAC units in the 10-team listing; Lynchburg sits second, while Roanoke and Shenandoah are perched sixth and ninth, respectively; both improved up their final positions (8th and 13th) from last year
      • National Poll: both Washington and Lee and Lynchburg feature in the initial list of 30 ranked programs; the Generals finished 21st in Terre Haute in 2024 and open 2025 slotted 14th; the Hornets finished 12th at last year's national championship and begin the new campaign as the 20th-ranked team in Division III
        • The top-five slots are occupied by defending champion University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Wartburg College, SUNY Geneseo, Johns Hopkins University, and Pomona-Pitzer Colleges; UW-La Crosse and Wartburg were ranked 1st and 2nd to start 2024 as well
    • The 2025 season marks a great opportunity for new runners to step into the limelight with the 1) the ODAC expanding its all-conference awards allotment to the top-21 finishers at the ODAC championship, and 2) just 4-of-14 All-ODAC honorees return from last season. Below are those four runners.
    PLNAMETEAMTIMESCORE
    1Olivia Warr (1st Team)Washington and Lee21:35.11
    5Adelynn Carpenter (1st Team)Lynchburg21:52.45
    6Sophia Breschi (1st Team)Washington and Lee21:58.26
    10Lydia Harvey (2nd Team)Washington and Lee22:22.110
    • Much like in the women's ranks, there will be plenty of opportunity for new athletes to garner all-conference recognition with the awards contingent now featuring the top-21 runners from the ODAC championship and with just 7-of-14 all-league standouts back from last season. Those athletes are listed below.
    PLNAMETEAMTIMESCORE
    5Keaton Rush (1st Team)Washington and Lee24:57.25
    7Robert Cooper (1st Team)Washington and Lee25:08.47
    8Alex Jordan (2nd Team)Lynchburg25:13.58
    9Thomas Franklin (2nd Team)Washington and Lee25:18.09
    10Dylan McGraw (2nd Team)Lynchburg25:19.4 
    13Aidan Riggle (2nd Team)Lynchburg25:30.3 
    14Randy White (2nd Team)Lynchburg25:30.9