Both WSU squads, Washington women ranked in top 30 in USTFCCCA D-1 pre season poll...

NEW ORLEANS--With cross country just around the corner, the USTFCCCA released its NCAA Division I national pre-season coaches poll Tuesday.

Washington State, which returns both Solomon Kipchoge (Paul Merca file photo) and Evans Kurui, starts the season ranked number 11 in the pre-season poll.

Kipchoge finished the cross country season placing third at the NCAA championships, while Kurui earned his second All-America medal, when he finished 17th at nationals in Missouri last year.

In addition to All Americans Kipchoge and Kurui, the Cougars return from the team that ran at nationals Kade Brownell (245th), Evan Bruce (215th), Vincent Koech (233rd) and Kutoven Stevens (168th).

The Cougars add Benedict Njoroge, who was ninth at the Kenyan Championships in the 5000, where he ran 13:57.82 in Nairobi. The team, according to its TFRRS roster, also added Joshua Nderitu.

Washington, which did not qualify for the NCAA championships, is unranked.

The nation's top five pre season teams are in order: defending national champion Oklahoma State, New Mexico, Iowa State, Alabama and Oregon.

Other men's teams from the Big Ten in the pre-season poll include number 10 Wisconsin, and number 17 Michigan State.

The women's pre-season rankings have both the Cougars and Huskies ranked in the national top 30.

Washington State, despite losing both coach Laura Harmon and NCAA 1500 meter champion and cross country All-American Rosemary Longisa to Iowa State, start off ranked number 21 after finishing 27th at last year's national championships.

From their NCAA team, Washington State returns Zenah Cheptoo (66th) Kylah Madariaga (212th), Caroline Jepkorir (231st), Aleeya Cossey (244th), and Kaleena Narus (256th).

The Huskies, which finished 19th last year, are ranked number 22 in the pre-season poll.

From the team that ran in the NCAA championships last year, the Dawgs return Mia Cochran (58th), and Abby DeVeau (96th). They also return Julia David-Smith, who sat out last cross country season after a long 2025 track season, and Nicole Bissell, who ran at last year's NCAA championships for Washington State (192nd).

They add perhaps one of the strongest freshman classes with the likes of world U20 1500 meter finalists Millie Roberts of Australia and Sherry Drury of Japan, along with Abby Hennessy from Massachusetts, who ran 9:15.79 indoors as a high school senior.

The nation's top five women's teams in the poll are in order: defending champion NC State, New Mexico, Iowa State, BYU, and Oregon.

Other teams from the Big Ten include number 10 Penn State, and number 11 Northwestern.

Like the men's poll, the Cougars are the only team from the Pac-12 in the national top 30.

The USTFCCCA Division II release will come out Wednesday.

The USTFCCCA release is available here.

INDIANAPOLIS TO HOST USATF INDOOR CHAMPS IN 2027 AND 2028...

USA Track & Field announced Tuesday that the next two USA Indoor Track & Field Championships will be held in Indianapolis, at the Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion on the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

The return to Indianapolis carries special significance for the sport. Next year will mark the 40th anniversary of the inaugural IAAF World Indoor Championships which were held at the Hoosier Dome in 1987.

The 2028 USATF Indoor Championships will carry additional significance as a selection event for the 2028 World Athletics Indoor Championships, giving American athletes an opportunity to compete for national titles while pursuing a place on Team USATF for the global championship, which will be held March 3-5, 2028, in Odisha, India.

The Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion on the Indiana State Fairgrounds has hosted over the last few years meets, including the last two Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships. The venue has also hosted the last several USA Indoor Combined Events championships.

The Indiana Sports Corporation will serve as the local organizing committee for the championships, which will be held in the city where USATF's national office is located.

The USATF release is available here.

STUFF WE MISSED OVER THE WEEKEND...

In Lincroft, New Jersey on Friday, Washington alum Sam Ellis (Paul Merca file photo) won the Monmouth Mile race at the George Sheehan Track & Field Complex.

Ellis, who will move back to Atlanta after he joined the Atlanta TC Elite, ran 3:55.30 to lead eleven runners across the line under 4 minutes.

In the women's 800, Kristi Schoffield of the Brooks Beasts finished third in 2:02.48, as McKenna Keegan won in 2:00.55.

Complete results of the Monmouth Mile are available here.

One result from Sunday's Banca Valsabbina Grand Prix in Brescia we completely overlooked was Washington alum Gianna Woodruff's second place finish in the 400 hurdles.

Competing a few days after her fifth place finish in Zürich, Woodruff ran 53.76, just off of her season best of 53.58 that she ran in Rome in June.

Training partner Dalilah Muhammad won in 53.36. 

NOTE: The USTFCCCA, the Monmouth Mile, and the Banca Valsabbina Grand Prix contributed to this report.

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