BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Winona State University Women's Cross Country team was selected second in the 2025 NSIC Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll and
Sophia Taarud was named the Preseason Athlete of the Year.
WSU garnered 202 points in the 2025 NSIC Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll, locking them in second behind Augustana (217 points) and ahead of University of Mary (199 points).
Winona State came in third at the NSIC Championship, fourth in the NCAA Division II Central Region Championship, and finished fourteenth in the NCAA Division II National Championships in 2024. Entering his sixth season with the Warriors, head coach
John Hibshman noted, "This team works very well together and they are very supportive of each other. We have
Sophia Taarud, who was runner-up at the NSIC Championship last cross-country season.
Kylie Anderson had a great track season and is looking to be one of the top runners in the conference. We have a great supporting cast for the 3 - 7 positions.
Ella Voit,
Stella Rusch,
Sam Harke,
Lexi Terwedo,
Madeline Palmer, and
Libby Ray should all make an impact for us. I am also looking forward to see how the freshmen class contributes."
Taarud, a graduate student from Farmington, Minn., led the runners last season and is back for a final year with the Warriors. A three-time All-NSIC performer, Taaurd finished second at the NSIC Cross Country Championships and at the NCAA Division II Central Region Cross Country Championship last year. Taarud finished the 2024 season with All-America honors by finishing 22nd at NCAA Championships.
Coach Hibshman on Taarud: "Sophia is a true student/athlete. She missed track this past season due to injury, which was a major disappointment for her. Sophia is very resilient and has been training very well since May. Because of her injury she has implemented a lot of cross training into her daily routine. She has big goals for cross country. I expect her to be even better this cross country season."
Winona State opens their season at the Vic Godfrey Open in Kenosha, Wis. on Friday, September 5.
