Lancaster, Pa. – (10/30/2026) – With the 2026 Atlantic East Conference (AEC) Men's Cross Country Championship scheduled for this Saturday, October 31 (10:00 a.m.), Conference Commissioner Rebecca Mullen has officially released the results of the coaches' Pre-Championship Poll. Gwynedd Mercy University placed second in the forecasted finish by garnering one of the five available first-place votes and totaling 12 points. The Red and Gold were edged out for the top spot by Immaculata University who received three first-place votes and totaled 15 points. Behind the Mighty Macs and Griffins, the league's five head coaches placed Marymount University (11 points, 1 first-place vote), Pratt Institute (8), and Saint Elizabeth University (4).
Gwynedd Mercy University's 2025 season reached its pinnacle with a fourth place finish (4th of 6, 101 points) at the AEC Women's Cross Country Championship.
Abigail Flannery (Cinnaminson, N.J.) (8
th, 27:32.6) and
Ava Ezzie (Drexel Hill, Pa.) (13
th, 29:01.1) were among the 14 student-athletes officially named to the all-league roster as both Griffins earned All-AEC Second Team status for their finishes. Unfortunately, the Red and Gold will be without their reigning All-AEC performers for the 2026 championship. Instead, Gwynedd Mercy University places their fate on the feet of sophomores
Emmee Belt (Southampton, Pa.),
Izzy Bofinger (Mount Holly, N.J.),
Mary Rivas-Leiva (Horsham, Pa.),
Gabriella Rossi (Philadelphia, Pa.),
Hannah Satalin (Schwenksville, Pa.), and
Olivia Taylor (Philadelphia, Pa.), as well as freshmen
Hailee Dicks (Collingswood, N.J.),
Cara Mott (Philadelphia, Pa.), and
Evelyn Yun (Fort Washington, Pa.). Dicks and Mott have been the top Griffins this season; the former paced Red and Gold at Lebanon Valley College's Dutchmen Invitational (48
th, 21:55.2 on Sept. 5), while the latter did the same at the DeSales University Invitational (21
st, 25:44.3 on Sept. 19) and Rowan University's Border Battle (26
th, 28:22.9). Mott's finish at the Dutchmen Invitational garnered her the AEC Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week award on September 21.
The complete results of the 2026 AEC Women's Cross Country Pre-Championship Poll are listed below and available by using the provided links.
2026 Atlantic East Conference (AEC) Women's Cross Country Pre-Championship Poll
| Rank. Team |
Points |
First-Place Votes |
| 1. Immaculata University |
15 |
3 |
| 2. Gwynedd Mercy University |
12 |
1 |
| 3. Marymount University |
11 |
1 |
| 4. Pratt Institute |
8 |
|
| 5. Saint Elizabeth University |
4 |
|
