BURNSVILLE, MN – The University of Mary women's cross country team was picked to finish 3^rd in the Northern Sun's Preseason Coaches' Poll. Redshirt freshman Tori Stepka was selected as the Marauders' Athlete to Watch ahead of her first competitive season in the sport.

Stepka did not compete last year in either cross country or track and field due to an injury. Her last full competitive season was her junior year of high school, when she was named All-Conference in track and field.

"Tori will be entering into her first ever cross country season, high school included," said head coach Chris Lessard. "She ran the 800 a few times in high school and had good times but has never run cross country. She tore her ACL her senior year and took all of last year getting healthy again. I think she is going to not only shock herself and her team, but the NSIC as well. Tori is excited and has serious grit. This season is going to be a new kind of experience for her, but she is ready for the challenge. She has developed at such a fast rate, it'll be fun to see how far she's really come."

As a whole, the Marauders were the NSIC runner-up last year behind Augustana University. UMary was picked to finish 3^rd this season. All-American Alyssa Becker was the 2024 individual conference champion representing UMary.

It will be a new-look team this year, as just one of the five runners who scored points at the NSIC Championships returns – senior Terez Wycklendt. There were five additional returners who competed in the postseason last year: Hannah Westin, Gianna Frasher, Sarah Grotberg, Ellyn Engels, and Emma Hehn.

"What excites me about the women's team this year is that we are in an interesting spot to find a new identity and see what we can do and who all steps up," said Lessard. "We are extremely young and have a lot of experience to gain. We lost a lot of amazing women and low sticks logistically so we will see how we step up and how gritty we can be."

UMary concluded the season with an 18^th-place finish at the NCAA Championships and were ranked as high as 14^th nationally.

The season begins on Sept. 5 with the Marauders Invitational at McDowell Dam in Bismarck, ND. UMary will also host the Marauders Open on Oct. 10.

The NSIC Championships will take place on Oct. 24 in Wayne, NE. The NCAA Central Region Championships follow in Joplin, MO, on Nov. 8. The season wraps up at the NCAA Championships on Nov. 22 in Kenosha, WI.

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