NEW YORK | The reigning champions enter the new season as the team to beat. The United States Merchant Marine Academy has been selected as the preseason favorite in the 2025 Skyline Conference Women’s Cross Country Coaches’ Poll, as voted on by the league’s 12 head coaches. 

The Mariners, winners of the 2024 Skyline Championship, secured seven first-place votes and totaled 108 points to sit atop this year’s poll.

Maritime finished second with 99 points and one first-place vote, followed closely by Mount Saint Mary (86 points, one first-place vote) and Farmingdale State (78 points, one first-place vote). Sarah Lawrence (77 points) and St. Joseph’s-Long Island (76 points) were separated by just a single point to round out the top six.

Manhattanville placed seventh with 65 points and one first-place vote, while Purchase (57 points) checked in eighth. Mount Saint Vincent (38 points, one first-place vote) and St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn (38 points) tied for ninth, while Old Westbury (35 points) and Yeshiva (35 points) rounded out the standings.

The 2025 Skyline Conference Men’s Cross Country Championship will be held on Sunday, October 26, hosted by Purchase College.
 

2025 Skyline Conference Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank, Team (first-place votes), Pts.

1. USMMA (7), 108
2. Maritime (1), 99
3. Mount Saint Mary (1), 86
4. Farmingdale State (1), 78
5. Sarah Lawrence, 77
6. St. Joseph’s-Long Island, 76
7. Manhattanville (1), 65
8. Purchase, 57
T9. Mount Saint Vincent (1), 38
T9. St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn, 38
11. Old Westbury, 35
12. Yeshiva, 35