LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The Kutztown University women's cross country team came in at No. 4 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) women's cross country preseason coaches poll, as announced by the conference Wednesday afternoon.

The Golden Bears finished fourth at last year's PSAC Championships, which it followed with a 7th place finish at the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships. KU has put up top ten performances in each of the past four PSAC Championships, and they look to enter the conference's top three teams in 2025.

Kutztown features senior Mackey Donovan (Blauvelt, N.Y./Tappan Zee), junior Maura Lenhart (Center Valley, Pa./Southern Lehigh) and sophomores Jensen Kraft (Nutley, N.J./Saint Mary) and Olivia Solomon (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy), who all finished within the top-15 in multiple races throughout the regular season. Head coach Ray Hoffman added a half dozen newcomers to boost its outlook on the season, as they look to claim its first conference championship.

In the PSAC Championships, Lenhart, Deandra Young (East Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) and Sophia Knerr (Columbia, N.J./North Warren Regional) each earned All-Conference honors, with Young and Lenhart garnering First Team honors and Knerr coming in 19th to pick up Second Team honors.

Defending PSAC Champion Slippery Rock looks to make it a three-peat as they claimed the top spot in the polls, garnering ten first place votes. East Stroudsburg and Shippensburg came in ahead of Kutztown, with the Warriors capturing six first place votes and the Raiders claiming the other vote.

The Golden Bears open the season at the WCU Opener at Unionville High School, hosted by West Chester University, on Friday, September 5. KU will have four regular season meets before competing in the PSAC Cross Country Championships in Edinboro, Pa., on Saturday, October 25.

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2025 PSAC Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll (# of first-place votes in parentheses)
1. Slippery Rock (10)
2. East Stroudsburg (6)
3. Shippensburg (1)
4. Kutztown
5. Bloomsburg
6. Millersville
7. West Chester
8. Edinboro
9. Lock Haven
10. Gannon
11. IUP
12. Clarion
13. California
14. Pitt-Johnstown
15. Seton Hill
16. Mansfield
17. Shepherd