2025 Northeast Conference Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll                   1. CCSU (7)                 2. (tie) Stonehill                     Wagner (2)                 4. Saint Francis U (1)                 5. LIU                 6. Mercyhurst                 7. New Haven                 8. Le Moyne                 9. FDU                 10. Chicago State                First place votes in parentheses

Bridgewater, NJ –- Central Connecticut has won six of the last seven NEC Women’s Cross Country titles, so it comes as no surprise that they Blue Devils enter the 2025 season with high expectations. CCSU garnered seven first place votes in the annual preseason poll to cement its status as league frontunner.

Stonehill and Wagner tied for second place in the poll with the Skyhawks two first place votes.

Saint Francis U, the runner-up at the NEC Championship last season, placed fourth in the poll and tallied one first place vote.

LIU and Mercyhurst were picked fifth and sixth in the poll, respectively.

NEC newcomer New Haven was picked seventh, while Le Moyne placed eighth.

FDU and Chicago State rounded out the poll in ninth and tenth.

Reigning NEC Coach of the Year Eric Blake piloted his CCSU squad to the 2024 conference title, placing four runners inside the top-10 at the NEC Championship last fall to reclaim the conference crown at Stanley Quarter Park in New Britain. The Blue Devils finished 18 points clear of the field to cruise to their eighth NEC title, tied for the most in league history. CCSU returns a pair of top-10 finishers – seniors Juliana Cancellieri (Berlin, CT/Berlin) and junior Mya Morabito (New Milford, CT/New Milford) - who earned All-NEC honors last season. The duo finished ninth and tenth, respectively, in 2024, with Cancellieri finishing in 18:07.30 and Morabito clocking in at 18:09.90. It marked the second time the pair placed in the top-15.

Under the tutelage of longtime head coach Karen Boen, Stonehill won its first NEC title in 2023 and followed up with a fourth place showing at the NEC meet last year. Three-time All-Conference selection Jordan Malloy (Colchester, CT/Bacon Academy), last year’s bronze medalist, returns for her senior year this fall. Malloy, who was the 2022 NEC Rookie of the Year, posted a time 17:32.20 in 2024, finishing inside the top-10 for the third consecutive season.

First-year head coach Marvin Azor, an assistant for the past two years, takes over a Wagner team that finished third in 2024 and returns two All-NEC selections from last season. Senior Laura Trenado (Madrid, Spain/IES Parque de Lisboa) – a three-time All-NEC honoree - and junior Rylee Ferretti (Staten Island, NY/New Dorp) were Wagner's top runners at the 2024 NEC Championship, finishing fifth and sixth with times of 17:50.80 and 17:55.50, respectively.

Saint Francis U will host the 2025 edition of the NEC Men’s Cross Country Championships on November 1 at B & D Acres Farm in Tyrone, PA. All ten NEC institutions are eligible to participate in the championship.

About The Northeast Conference
Now entering its 45th season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of ten institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Chicago (#3), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#88). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, New Haven, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.