BRONXVILLE, N.Y. — Fresh off the first women's team championship in program history, the Sarah Lawrence College women's cross country team has been selected second in the 2026 Skyline Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the conference on Friday, August 27.

The Gryphons received 88 points and three first-place votes, finishing just two points behind preseason favorite United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), which collected 90 points and six first-place votes.

Sarah Lawrence captured its first-ever women's team title at the 2025 Skyline Championship, edging USMMA by eight points, 61-69, with SUNY Maritime finishing third with 115 points. The Gryphons secured the championship with a tightly packed scoring five, placing fourth, seventh, ninth, 20th and 21st to provide the depth necessary to claim the program's historic first conference crown.

The strong preseason projection sets up another highly anticipated battle between Sarah Lawrence and USMMA. The Mariners enter 2026 as the preseason favorite after finishing runner-up to Sarah Lawrence at last year's Skyline Championship.

Farmingdale State was selected third with 78 points, followed by Maritime with 68 points and one first-place vote. St. Joseph's-L.I. rounded out the top five with 56 points.

Yeshiva was picked sixth with 54 points, followed by Mount Saint Mary (50), Manhattanville (49, one first-place vote), Purchase (29), St. Joseph's-Brooklyn (25) and Old Westbury (18).

The 2026 season gets underway Friday, September 4 as the Gryphons head to Adelphi University for the Panthers XC Invite at Bethpage State Park. The race is set to begin at 2:30 p.m.