BEMIDJI, Minn. – Bemidji State University Cross Country has earned the No. 11 spot in this season's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.
"Our team is very young but is one of the most talented teams we have ever had coming into a cross country season," said Interim Head Coach
Benjamin Baird. "If everything goes well, I anticipate us being one of the best overall cross country teams ever at Bemidji State by the end of the season."
Junior
Sophie Rylance finished the 2025 NSIC season in 50
th, finishing with a 6K time of 24:02.9 at the NSIC Championships. She then went on the finish her sophomore campaign at the NCAA Division II Central Region Cross Country Championships with a time of 24:14.1. Her personal bests sit at 19:29.6 for the 5K and 23:53.4 at the 2024 NSIC Championships.
"Sophie is one of only three returning runners this season," said Coach Baird. "She has a lot of potential to keep improving as a cross country runner to go along with her excellent middle distance speed from the track. I am looking to her to take a greater leadership role on a very young team."
Winona State University was picked to win the NSIC in the preseason women's cross country coaches' poll. The Warriors received 11 first place votes (coaches cannot vote for their own team) and tallied 219 points to sit 17 points ahead of Minnesota State, which had 202 points and a first-place vote. Augustana University was third with 201 points and three first place votes, while Minnesota Duluth was fourth with 181 points and the University of Mary was fifth with 179 points and the final first place vote.
The 2026 NSIC cross country season gets underway on Friday, September 4 with the regular season culminating on Saturday, November 7 at the NSIC Cross Country Championship held at at Yankton Trails in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, hosted by Augustana University. The men's 8,000-meter race is scheduled for 10 a.m. while the women's 6,000-meter race will follow at 11:15 a.m. The NCAA regional will take place on Saturday, November 21st at the Tom Rutledge CC Course in Joplin, Missouri. The NCAA Championships are set for Saturday, December 4 at Rim Rock in Lawrence, Kansas.
For more information on the Bemidji State Track and Field program, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on X (@BSUBeaversXCTF), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) and like them on Instagram (@BSUBeaversXC).
Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's and women's hockey membership in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
