NEW ORLEANS -- The Christopher Newport cross country teams earned high marks in the USTFCCCA South Region Preseason Rankings as the women were picked sixth and the men were slotted seventh in the initial polls released by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Tuesday afternoon.

After finishing the 2024 campaign ranked eighth in the region, the women jumped up two spots in the preseason poll, which marked the largest year-over-year leap by any program in the South. Ahead of the Captains, the top-five remained unchanged from last fall's final list as Washington and Lee retained the No. 1 position, while Emory, Lynchburg, Berry, and Shenandoah rounded out the top-five.

On the men's side, Christopher Newport wrapped up 2024 slotted seventh in the region and remained in that spot in this year's preseason rankings. Meanwhile, at the top of the poll, Washington and Lee was tabbed as the favorite in the South, while Lynchburg, Emory, Pfeiffer, and Berry followed in close succession.

The regional rankings come on the heels of last week's Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The men were picked second in the league, while the women were slotted third.

CNU enters the fall with a solid group of veteran standouts. Both the men and women welcome back three runners who finished in the top-50 at last year's NCAA South Region Championships. Headlining that group, Andrew Janetsky became just the 14th freshman in school history to earn All-Region accolades after placing 28th overall at the 2024 competition.

Along with Janetsky, Tom Foti finished 39th in the men's 8k, while Taylor Dalton was 43rd overall.

On the women's side, Lena Blagg also made an impressive debut during her first outing at the South Regionals last year. In the 6k, she finished the race in 23:37.92, which placed her 36th in the field and marked the ninth-fastest clocking by any freshman at the competition.

In addition to Blagg, Sarah Dake came in 40th during the 2024 meet, while Sarah Bland was 42nd. 

Incredibly, all seven of Christopher Newport's entrants in the 6k last year are back on the 2025 roster. Following the top-50 finishers, Courtney Mudd, Josie Brumfield, Katherine Streeter, and Sydney Chipperfield helped the women finish eighth at the South Regionals. Additionally, Luke Tompkins and Clayton Rankin return after leading the men to a seventh-place showing in the 8k alongside Janestky, Foti, and Dalton in 2024.

CNU will open the fall on Saturday when the Captains take part in the Spider Alumni Open in Mechanicsville, Virginia.

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