NEW ORLEANS - The Fort Hays State women's cross country team will open the 2025 season this weekend ranked 26th in the country, announced Wednesday (Sept. 3) by the USTFCCCA with the release of the NCAA Division II Preseason Coaches Poll.
 
This is the first time in program history that the team has been ranked in the preseason polls. The Tigers were ranked for nearly all of last season, cracking the top 30 after week one before climbing as high as No. 20 by the middle of October.
 
The Tigers are slotted sixth in the preseason regional rankings behind only two conference opponents. Those rankings correspond with FHSU's finishes at conference and regionals last season when the Tigers placed third at the MIAA Championships and sixth at the Central Region Championships.
 
Adams State tops the national poll after receiving all eight first-place votes, while two MIAA schools are also listed in No. 12 Pittsburg State and No. 18 Rogers State.
 
Fort Hays State returns a veteran lineup, including five of the seven runners to finish in the scoring lineup at least once last season. Emily Diercks enters her senior season after winning the MIAA individual Championship last season. She went on to earn All-Region status and earn a spot in the field at the 2024 NCAA Championships where she placed 71st.
 
Other returners include Emma Weiner and Taylor Hoskinson, who both ranked in FHSU's scoring five in all but one race last season. Ashlyn Harbaugh was in the top five of three races in 2024, while Makenzie Premer finished in FHSU's top five twice.
 
The Tigers will kick off the season Saturday morning (Sept. 6) when they travel to Wichita, Kan. to compete at the JK Gold Classic. The women's five-kilometer race is slated to begin at 8:30 a.m.