Bethlehem, Pa. -- The 2025 Patriot League cross country season kicks off this weekend, with eight women's programs and seven men's programs set to open competition. Following a highly competitive 2024 campaign that saw one of the closest team finishes in League history on the women's side and a fourth consecutive team victory for the Navy men, the 2025 campaign will offer a considerable amount of excitement. The season will culminate with the 2025 Patriot League Cross Country Championships at Lehigh University on Friday, Oct. 31. Women's Season Preview
The defending champions, Army West Point, enter the 2025 season looking to retain their title after a narrow victory over Boston University in 2024. The Black Knights return the first-team All-Patriot League trio of Charlotte Richman, Louisa Diamond and Mikayla Cheney to the fold. Meanwhile, the Terriers return two top-ten finishers in Ola Szulka and Adrienne Buettner-Cable, along with 2024 Patriot League Rookie of the Meet, Caroline Collins. The two programs figure to compete for the conference title once again, with plenty of other programs squarely in the mix.

The individual title is up for grabs as 2024 individual champion Vera Sjöberg graduated following her illustrious career at Boston University. Three runners stand out as favorites, heading into the season as Richman and Diamond finished second and third, respectively, a season ago, while BU's Szulka rounded out the top five. Navy's Sophie Compton and Bucknell's duo of Caryn Rippy and Kailey Granger are each in position to climb up the rankings after second-team All-Patriot League honors in 2024.
With a strong pool of returning student-athletes and exciting first-year classes across the League, the women's campaign figures to be tightly contested yet again. Men's Season Preview
On the men's side, the Navy Midshipmen enter the season chasing their fifth consecutive Patriot League title, having established themselves as the League's frontrunner again in 2025. However, they'll be without two-time individual champion Murphy Smith, whose graduation leaves the race for the top spot wide open. Army West Point's Nathan Davis will make a strong push for the individual title. After a runner-up finish at the Patriot League Championships a season ago, Davis secured an NCAA bid with a sixth-place finish in the NCAA regional race. Navy's Jackson Nguyen and Justin Mumford each logged top-five finishes a season ago and figure to be near the top of the field again in 2025.

Like the women's field, experience remains a strength across the men's programs. Ten of the 14 All-Patriot League runners from 2024 return. While Navy remains the team to beat, expect challenges from Army West Point, Bucknell and Lehigh, which each return key scorers from last fall. About the Patriot League
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League's athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.