CHADRON, Neb. – Chadron State's women's cross country program was picked 12^th in the RMAC Preseason Poll while the men's program was picked 13^th, as the league office announced preseason projections and Preseason All-RMAC teams Thursday.

The Eagles are coming off a 12^th-place women's finish and a 14^th-place men's finish at the RMAC Championships this past fall, but CSC will have experience on its side as nine of 12 runners who competed at the conference meet return to this season's roster. 

Both defending cross country national champions, the Colorado School of Mines men and the Adams State women, were each picked to win the conference again in the poll, which is voted on by the league's 15 head coaches, who do not rank their own program. The Preseason All-RMAC team is based upon the top returning athletes from last season's all-conference honorees.

The 12^th-place finish for the Chadron State women was the program's highest since the 2017 season, and all five scoring runners posted career-best times at an RMAC meet that played out extremely fast. Junior Samantha Rodewald returns after leading CSC across the line in 57^th place at 22:21.18, while other standouts should include senior Lydia Peters and sophomore Kyndall Carnahan. Juniors Izabella Miller, Katelyn Beshara and Zelma Rudd figure to compete for the final lineup spots.

Behind Adams State at the top, the women's poll features Colorado School of Mines in second. CSU Pueblo and Western Colorado finished third and fourth while receiving one first-place vote each. UCCS completes the top five, followed by Fort Lewis, Colorado Mesa, Colorado Christian, MSU Denver, Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines. After the Eagles in 12^th, the poll is rounded out by New Mexico Highlands, Regis and Westminster. 

The Eagle men appear to be without their top two finishers from last year's conference and regionals meet as Kyle Shirley graduated while Wyatt Bly plans to redshirt. Seniors Blaine Johnson and Miles Mitchell and junior Adam Beard, who often made up the back half of CSC's scoring five last year, will be counted on to make larger contributions. Senior Nate Mann returns to CSC's lineup after a redshirt season of his own in 2024, while Grand Island, Nebraska true freshman Kaden Boltz is impressing early and could crack the lineup. 

After the defending champion Orediggers, who received 11 first-place votes, the Adams State men are second after receiving the other four first-place votes. Western Colorado leads UCCS and CSU Pueblo to complete the top five, while Colorado Christian, Fort Lewis, Colorado Mesa, MSU Denver and New Mexico Highlands complete the top 10. Like the women, Chadron State slots in immediately behind their regional rivals Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines, while Regis and Westminster round out the poll. 

Chadron State is set to begin competition on Friday, September 5, when they compete at the BH Invite in Sturgis, South Dakota at the 4K/6K distance. The RMAC Championships are set for Saturday, October 25 in Colorado Springs, with NCAA South Central Regionals in Pueblo on November 8.