Photo by: Rob Simmons
Radford Women’s Cross Country Team Selected Fourth, Men Picked Fifth in Big South Preseason Poll
8/25/2026 3:30:00 PM | Cross Country
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Big South Conference announced Tuesday afternoon that Radford's women's cross country program was selected to finish fourth and the men's program to place fifth in the preseason poll, as voted by the conference's coaches.
Under the guidance of the Director of Cross Country Shelli Sayers, the women's team has ranked among the top four in the conference's preseason polls in each of the past seven seasons.
The women's team received 53 points, 12 fewer than UNC Asheville in third and four more than Longwood in fifth. High Point checks in as the preseason favorites, as the Panthers have won each of the past nine women's cross country conference championships. High Point received six first-place votes, and Charleston Southern was picked second with three first-place votes.
Radford women's cross country returns three of their top six finishers from the Big South meet last season, as Delaney Eller comes back for her graduate season with Radford after placing 15th in last year's conference meet. Allison Nelson (20th) and Cora Gentzel (31st) hope to bolster the Highlanders hopes in 2026 in their sophomore seasons, while junior Claire Keefe and senior Kayla Fields look to return faster than ever after missing much of last cross country season due to injury.
After being picked fourth in the five previous Big South preseason polls, the men's team was selected fifth. It's their lowest preseason ranking in the conference since the 2020-21 spring season.
Most of the conference's coaches selected Charleston Southern as the top program in the conference, with the Buccaneers receiving six first-place votes and 78 points overall. High Point also received three first-place votes to rank second. Radford totaled 41 points, six fewer than USC Upstate in fourth and four more than Winthrop in sixth.
Though losing a Highlander great in Charlie Dance, the 2026 squad returns plenty of speed from last year's squad. Sophomore Jensen McCutcheon will try and move up the leaderboard after placing 23rd in the conference meet last season. Fellow sophomore Quinlan Beegle also has high expectations after taking great strides during the track portion of the schedule.
The season begins for the Highlanders on Friday, Sept. 18 at the Hokie Invitational in Blacksburg. This year's Big South meet is in Spartanburg, S.C., on Friday, Oct. 30.
FOLLOW RADFORD CROSS COUNTRY
For more updates on the Radford Cross Country program, check out RadfordAthletics.com, follow @RadfordTrackXC on X as well as @radfordtrackxc on Instagram and Radford Track and Field and Cross Country on Facebook.
Under the guidance of the Director of Cross Country Shelli Sayers, the women's team has ranked among the top four in the conference's preseason polls in each of the past seven seasons.
The women's team received 53 points, 12 fewer than UNC Asheville in third and four more than Longwood in fifth. High Point checks in as the preseason favorites, as the Panthers have won each of the past nine women's cross country conference championships. High Point received six first-place votes, and Charleston Southern was picked second with three first-place votes.
Radford women's cross country returns three of their top six finishers from the Big South meet last season, as Delaney Eller comes back for her graduate season with Radford after placing 15th in last year's conference meet. Allison Nelson (20th) and Cora Gentzel (31st) hope to bolster the Highlanders hopes in 2026 in their sophomore seasons, while junior Claire Keefe and senior Kayla Fields look to return faster than ever after missing much of last cross country season due to injury.
After being picked fourth in the five previous Big South preseason polls, the men's team was selected fifth. It's their lowest preseason ranking in the conference since the 2020-21 spring season.
Most of the conference's coaches selected Charleston Southern as the top program in the conference, with the Buccaneers receiving six first-place votes and 78 points overall. High Point also received three first-place votes to rank second. Radford totaled 41 points, six fewer than USC Upstate in fourth and four more than Winthrop in sixth.
Though losing a Highlander great in Charlie Dance, the 2026 squad returns plenty of speed from last year's squad. Sophomore Jensen McCutcheon will try and move up the leaderboard after placing 23rd in the conference meet last season. Fellow sophomore Quinlan Beegle also has high expectations after taking great strides during the track portion of the schedule.
The season begins for the Highlanders on Friday, Sept. 18 at the Hokie Invitational in Blacksburg. This year's Big South meet is in Spartanburg, S.C., on Friday, Oct. 30.
FOLLOW RADFORD CROSS COUNTRY
For more updates on the Radford Cross Country program, check out RadfordAthletics.com, follow @RadfordTrackXC on X as well as @radfordtrackxc on Instagram and Radford Track and Field and Cross Country on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
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Wednesday, August 26
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