LANCASTER, Pa. – Sixteen-time defending conference champion Johns Hopkins has been lauded as the favorite to continue its winning streak in the 2025 Centennial Conference Women’s Cross Country Preseason Poll. The Blue Jays compiled all nine available first-place votes and tallied 81 points in a vote among conference head coaches.
Gettysburg grabbed the other first-place vote and totaled 68 points to edge Swarthmore (66) for second place in the poll. Dickinson was next in fourth place with 57 points, followed by Haverford in fifth with 49 points.
The 2025 season begins on Friday, Aug. 29 with seven Centennial squads in action. The Centennial Conference championship will be held at Gettysburg on Saturday, Nov. 1, marking the eighth time overall and first time since 2019 that the Bullets will serve as championship hosts.
2025 Centennial Conference Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll
| Rank | Institution (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. Johns Hopkins (9) |
81 |
| 2. Gettysburg (1) |
68 |
| 3. Swarthmore |
66 |
| 4. Dickinson |
57 |
| 5. Haverford |
49 |
| 6. Franklin & Marshall |
41 |
| 7. Ursinus |
30 |
| 8. Bryn Mawr |
26 |
| 9. Muhlenberg |
20 |
| 10. McDaniel |
12 |
2025 Schedule | 2024 Championship Results | 2024 All-Centennial Team | History & Records | USTFCCCA Rankings
With eight of the 20 national titles in Centennial Conference history and the longest active title streak among all 24 CC sports, the Johns Hopkins women's cross country team has firmly established itself as the premiere program in any conference sport throughout the 32-year history of the Centennial. It should then come as no surprise that the Blue Jays were once again selected as the preseason favorite, with another high national ranking also expected when the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) unveils its preseason rankings next week.
Last fall, the Blue Jays extended their winning streak at the CC meet to 16 in a row by capturing the top five individual placings and landing six runners in the top seven en route to a perfect team score of 15 points. It marked the third consecutive and fourth overall perfect team score in the history of the CC, with all four posted by Hopkins across the past six championships. JHU then went on to win its 16th-straight regional championship, placing five runners in the top-12 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional. The Blue Jays followed that up with a fifth-place finish at nationals, paced by a 25th-place individual showing from CC Rookie of the Year Carter Brotherton.
Brotherton is the lone returning All-American in the Centennial this fall, but is joined by 12 All-Region performers and nine runners with All-Centennial laurels to their names. Teammate Adriana Catalano won the CC individual crown last fall and was later named Runner of the Year, also earning All-Region honors for the second time in her career. JHU's Cooper Brotherton, Carter's older sister, and Swarthmore's Olivia Montini both return as three-time All-Region honorees, while Haverford's Alice Sappenfield is a two-time All-Region performer. Catalano, Cooper Brotherton and Montini have each also secured All-Centennial honors twice in their careers.
The USTFCCCA preseason regional rankings will be released on Tuesday, Aug. 26, with the national ranking anounncement set for Wednesday, Aug. 27.
Returning All-Americans (1)
Carter Brotherton, Johns Hopkins, So. (25th place at 2024 NCAA Championship)
Returning All-Region (12)
Gabrielle Thiry, Gettysburg, So. (2024 Mid-Atlantic All-Region)
Sarah Smith, Gettysburg, Sr. (2024 Mid-Atlantic All-Region)
Alice Sappenfield, Haverford, Jr. (2024 & 2023 Metro All-Region)
Anastasia Jaycobs, Haverford, Jr. (2024 Metro All-Region)
Adriana Catalano, Johns Hopkins, Sr. (2024 & 2023 Mid-Atlantic All-Region)
Cooper Brotherton, Johns Hopkins, Sr. (2024, 2023 & 2022 Mid-Atlantic All-Region)
Sydney Shock, Johns Hopkins, So. (2024 Mid-Atlantic All-Region)
Aisling Callahan, Johns Hopkins, Sr. (2024 Mid-Atlantic All-Region)
Olivia Montini, Swarthmore, Sr. (2024, 2023 & 2022 Metro All-Region)
Ania Wong, Swarthmore, So. (2024 Metro All-Region)
Elizabeth Page, Swarthmore, So. (2024 Metro All-Region)
Mia Sideris, Ursinus, Sr. (2024 Metro All-Region)
Returning All-Centennial (9)
Gabrielle Thiry, Gettysburg, So. (2024 Second Team)
Adriana Catalano, Johns Hopkins, Sr. (2024 Runner OTY & First Team, 2023 First Team)
Cooper Brotherton, Johns Hopkins, Sr. (2024 First Team, 2022 Second Team)
Carter Brotherton, Johns Hopkins, So. (2024 Rookie OTY & First Team)
Sydney Shock, Johns Hopkins, So. (2024 First Team)
Viviani Li, Johns Hopkins, Sr. (2022 Second Team)
Olivia Montini, Swarthmore, Sr. (2024 First Team, 2023 Second Team)
Ania Wong, Swarthmore, So. (2024 Second Team)
Elizabeth Page, Swarthmore, So. (2024 Second Team)
