Women's Cross Country Ranked 15th in USTFCCCA South Region Preseason Poll
9/1/2026 1:30:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
MACON, Ga. – For the first time in program history, Mercer Women's Cross Country was ranked 15th in the NCAA Division I Cross Country Preseason Regional Rankings.
The Bears were ranked 12th in last year's in-season rankings after an eighth-place team finish at the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, Ala., and stayed in the top 15 for the remainder of the season.
After finishing second at the Southern Conference Championships last year, Mercer welcomes three newcomers and returns 12 heading into head coach Cameron Ruppe's third year at the helm. One returner includes Mary Grace Parker, who broke out in her freshman season, finishing third at the SoCon Championships with a personal best 17:14.2 5K, earning First Team All-Conference and All-Freshman Team honors. The Bears also welcomed back Nikki Harris, who finished 10th at the SoCon Championships and 21st at the Southern Showcase with a personal best 5K of 17:14.35.
Regional Rankings are determined subjectively by a single member coach in each respective region. The regional representative is tasked with weighing returning teams' strength with current season results (if applicable) in determining a rank-order of squad potential.Â
South Region - Women
The Bears were ranked 12th in last year's in-season rankings after an eighth-place team finish at the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, Ala., and stayed in the top 15 for the remainder of the season.
After finishing second at the Southern Conference Championships last year, Mercer welcomes three newcomers and returns 12 heading into head coach Cameron Ruppe's third year at the helm. One returner includes Mary Grace Parker, who broke out in her freshman season, finishing third at the SoCon Championships with a personal best 17:14.2 5K, earning First Team All-Conference and All-Freshman Team honors. The Bears also welcomed back Nikki Harris, who finished 10th at the SoCon Championships and 21st at the Southern Showcase with a personal best 5K of 17:14.35.
Regional Rankings are determined subjectively by a single member coach in each respective region. The regional representative is tasked with weighing returning teams' strength with current season results (if applicable) in determining a rank-order of squad potential.Â
South Region - Women
- Alabama
- Florida
- Tennessee
- Vanderbilt
- Florida State
- Mississippi State
- Lipscomb
- Ole Miss
- Georgia Tech
- Kennesaw State
- Georgia
- Middle Tennessee
- Auburn
- UCF
- Mercer
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
Tuesday, September 01
Monday, August 31
Sunday, August 30
Sunday, August 30
