NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport women's cross country team picked up a first-place vote and finished second overall in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, which was released by the league office on Thursday afternoon.
The Captains garnered 42 total points in the poll, which placed them just behind UC Santa Cruz, who earned 49 points while collecting seven first-place votes. Following the top-two squads, Salisbury was slotted third in the poll, while Mary Washington and Regent followed in immediate succession.
Rounding out the rankings, Johnson & Wales was sixth, Warren Wilson placed seventh, and Alverno came in eighth.
Christopher Newport is coming off of a second-place finish at last year's league meet. During that competition, four Captains placed in the top-16 on the individual leaderboard and earned All-Conference nods for their work. Remarkably, all four are back on the 2026 roster.
Headlining the veteran contingent, senior
Sarah Dake came in sixth during the 2025 competition and was joined on the first-team All-League squad by junior
Sarah Bland, who placed seventh overall. Fourth-year phenoms
Kayla Lopez and
Courtney Mudd also hauled in second-team All-Conference citations for their work last fall.
In addition to the decorated performers, two other veterans placed in the team's top-seven during last year's title meet. Junior
Katherine Streeter finished 25th in the field, while
Alexis Rose was 35th during her championship debut.
Overall, CNU's current roster features 14 runners with collegiate experience, including five seniors.
Christopher Newport will kick off the 2026 campaign with an appearance at the Spider Alumni Open at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville, Virginia on September 5.
2026 C2C Women's Cross Country Poll
1. UCSC.......49 (7 First Place)
2. CNU.........42 (1)
3. SU............38
4. UMW........31
5. REG.........23
6. JWU.........17
7. WWC.......16
8. ALV...........8
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