ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference wrapped up its preseason coaches polls and conference previews Thursday with the sport of Cross Country. On the women's side, the University of Northwestern was picked by the conference coaches to finish in fourth place out of the eight teams in the UMAC.

The full UMAC conference preview can be accessed here.

Northwestern tallied 30 points in the voting. Wisconsin-Superior was picked to repeat as conference champions, earning 47 points and five first-place votes. Just behind the Yellowjackets was Martin Luther College, who received the other three first-place nods and totaled 43 points. The only other team picked ahead of Northwestern was Crown, who finished six points ahead of UNW with 36.

The Eagles will certainly have a new look to them in 2024. Not only does sole-returner Caroline Ringsmuth (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) have a full squad of reinforcements joining her, but she also has a new head coach. Steve Thiessen retired from coaching after over three decades of leading the Cross Country teams at Northwestern, and will be succeeded by Patrick Fitzgerald. As a sophomore in 2023, Ringsmuth earned First Team All-Conference recognition after a seventh-place finish at the UMAC Championships in which she set a PR in the 6k. She also qualified for the NCCAA National Championships, turning in an 18th-place finish after setting a 5k PR by nearly two minutes.

The Eagles will begin their season Friday at Falcon Heights Community Park when they square off with North Central in a dual meet. The women will race at 4:30 PM, followed by the men.

2024 UMAC Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll
1. UW-Superior | 47 (5)
2. Martin Luther | 43 (3)
3. Crown | 36
4. Northwestern | 30
5. Bethany Lutheran | 24
6. Minnesota Morris | 23
7. North Central | 14
8. Northland | 7