Trojan Women Maintain No. 4 Spot in Preseason NAIA Coaches Rating

NAIA Preseason Top-25 Women's Cross Country

KANSAS CITY – The Taylor women's cross country team received two first-place votes as it opens the 2024 season ranked fourth in the 2024 NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Preseason Rating, marking the third consecutive poll the team has been ranked No. 4.  

The Trojans have been a mainstay near the top of the national ratings, having finished among the best six teams in the NAIA National Championships each of the past seven seasons.

Coming off a fifth-place finish in 2023 at NAIA Nationals, TU returns six of its top seven runners, including NAIA All-American Noel VanderWall.

2023 All-Crossroads League runners Ahna Neideck and Audrey Brinkruff also return, and Huntington University transfer Abby Mays along with freshman Jaynie Halterman, who took seventh place at Footlocker Nationals, look to bolster TU's status as a national championship contender.

Crossroads League teams joining Taylor in the preseason top-25 are No. 16 Grace, No. 13 Huntington and No. 9 Indiana Wesleyan.

TU opens the season on September 6 at the IWU Twilight Invitational at 6 p.m. ET.