New Orleans – The University of Lynchburg men's cross country team enters the 2025 campaign ranked 20th in the preseason USTFCCCA Division III national poll, while the men's and women's squads both received top-three selections in the South Region rankings.

Men's Rankings

2025 marks the Hornets' fifth year in a row being selected in the preseason national rankings. Despite losing their top four finishers from the 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships, the men's club returns five athletes who competed in the final postseason races. 

Alex Jordan, Dylan McGraw, Corbin Green, Aidan Riggle and Randy White each earned a spot in either the regional or national championships last season. During the offseason, the Lynchburg men welcomed 13 new additions to the roster.

Lynchburg's men's team also earned second in the regional polls behind Old Dominion Athletic Conference foe Washington & Lee. The Hornets conquered the South Region title in back-to-back seasons on the men's side, while W&L finished third at the 2024 South Region Championships.

The ODAC placed four teams inside the South Region's preseason top ten, including sixth-ranked Roanoke and ninth-ranked Shenandoah.

Women's Rankings

On the women's side, the Hornets enter 2025 ranked third in the South Region behind Washington & Lee and Emory. The Lynchburg women finished third at the 2024 South Region Championships and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships.

Four of Lynchburg's six athletes from last season's NCAA Championships return for the 2025 season, including sophomore Adelynn Carpenter. In her freshman season, Carpenter finished fifth at the ODAC Cross Country Championships, in addition to registering program top-ten marks in the indoor 3,000m run and outdoor 5,000m run on the track.

Following four consecutive years of national qualifying, both teams aim to return to the national stage under first-year coaches Mario Wilson and Sam Llaneza. One team from each region receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, while the championships' other 22 teams earn at-large bids.

To view the USTFCCCA preseason rankings, click here.

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--LYN--