CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
ATLANTA, Ga. (October 29, 2026) – With the conference championship just a day away, Covenant has emerged as the favorite in the 2026 Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) Women's Cross Country Pre-Championship Poll, collecting 34 points and five first-place votes from the league's head coaches. Asbury followed closely in second with 32 points and the remaining two first-place votes, setting up a competitive race between the conference's programs heading into Friday's championship at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama.
Covenant enters the postseason following a consistent fall campaign that saw the Scots finish among the top five teams in three meets and place inside the top 10 in every competition. The program also reached a significant milestone this season, returning to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) South Region rankings for the first time since 2021. The achievement marked the first time in school history that both Covenant's men's and women's cross country programs appeared in the regional rankings simultaneously.
Defending champions, Asbury, enters the championship with a strong regular-season résumé, recording top-five finishes in four of its five meets. The Eagles' best performance came at their home-hosted Spoon's Fiercely Faithful XC Meet, where they captured the team title in a four-team field. With just two points separating Asbury from Covenant in the coaches' poll, the Eagles remain firmly in contention for the conference crown.
Belhaven secured third place in the poll with 25 points after recording two top-10 team finishes during the regular season. The Blazers will look to build on those performances as they prepare to compete against the conference field.
Piedmont was selected fourth with 18 points. The Lions competed against challenging fields throughout the season, with their best team finish coming at the University of North Georgia Invitational, where they placed 12th.
Huntingdon, Agnes Scott and LaGrange completed the seven-team poll. Huntingdon received 17 points to finish fifth, followed by Agnes Scott in sixth with 13 points and LaGrange in seventh with seven points.
All seven conference programs will converge on John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama, on Friday, October 30, for the 2026 CCS Women's Cross Country Championship. The meet will determine this year's conference champion while recognizing the league's top individual finishers.
2026 CCS WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON POLL
| Ranking |
School |
Points |
| 1 |
Covenant College |
34 points (5) |
| 2 |
Asbury University |
32 points (2) |
| 3 |
Belhaven University |
25 points |
| 4 |
Piedmont University |
18 points |
| 5 |
Huntingdon College |
17 points |
| 6 |
Agnes Scott College |
13 points |
| 7 |
LaGrange College |
7 points |
First-place votes in parenthesis.
ABOUT THE COLLEGIATE CONFERENCE OF THE SOUTH (CCS)
The CCS is an NCAA Division III athletic conference that began play during the 2022-23 academic year. The conference features seven member institutions (Agnes Scott College, Asbury University, Belhaven University, Covenant College, Huntingdon College, LaGrange College, and Piedmont University) and sponsors championships across 16 sports. In addition to sharing the member institutions' geographic identity, the name 'Collegiate Conference of the South' is indicative of a shared commitment to academic excellence, which is commensurate with the NCAA Division III philosophy.
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