BRIGHTON, Mich. - Saint Mary's College Cross Country was picked to finish fifth in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll.
 
The MIAA announced the preseason poll following a vote of the league's nine head coaches. The 2026 season features a strong group of returning All-MIAA and USTFCCCA All-Region performers, along with several new faces in conference coaching positions.
 
The nine team MIAA will see the regular season conclude with the MIAA Championships on October 31 in Albion, MI. The NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional will take place on November 14 in Olivet, MI.
 
The Belles kick off the season on September 1 as they head north to compete in the Comet Open, hosted by the University of Olivet. They will also compete in four other events throughout the fall including the Spartan Invite, the Gil Dodds Invitational, the Bulldog Invite hosted by Adrian College, and the Oberlin Interregional.
 
Hope College led the poll after receiving five first-place votes and the most points. Calvin University was projected to finish second with three first-place votes while Trine University was picked to finish third and had one first-place vote.
 
The three teams were followed by Kalamazoo College and Saint Mary's while Alma College, Adrian, Albion College, and Olivet were all picked to finish below the Belles.
 
The Belles return 10 runners from their 2025 campaign including five seniors in Cecilia Conrad (Norton Shores, MI), Josie DeWine (Yellow Springs, OH), Savannah Paulson (Carmel, IN), and Jordan Siminski (Crown Point, IN). The five are joined by lone junior Allie Glendening (Berrien Springs, MI). They also return five sophomores in Jackie Clemente (Richmond, IN), Sarah Couri (Germantown Hills, IL), Greta Duke (Shelbyville, IL), Mary Caroline George (Louisville, KY), and Megan McClain (Chicago, IL).
 
Saint Mary's will also welcome eight first-year student-athletes to the program. This includes four Michiganders in Stella Behnan from Port Huron, Stella Lipinski from Lansing, Elsie Markillie from Richland, and Lizzy Salinas from Dearborn. They bring in two from the state of Illinois in Bridget Begley from Palos Heights and Monica Klockenkemper from Godfrey. The Belles will also bring in Ella Trenerry from Granger, IN and Addy Lulich from Canonsburgh, PA.