NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. - Fresh off the first women's cross country championship in school history, the Bentley Falcons have been selected to repeat as Northeast 10 champions this fall -- in a tie with 2023 champion Southern Connecticut, while SCSU was chosen to repeat as men's champion.  The league polls were voted on by the conference head coaches and announced on Tuesday.

The deadlock at the top of the women's poll saw each Bentley and SCSU receive 81 total points, with the Owls earning five first place votes to the Falcon four.  Southern New Hampshire earned one first place vote.

The Falcons do need to replace Caitlin Burmester, who won the East Regional in 2024, but return a host of talent, including rising sophomore Lily Tedford (the 2025 NE10 Track Rookie of the Year) and rising junior Molly Capece, the 2023 NE10 XC Rookie of the Year.  Should the Falcons win this fall it would mark the first back-to-back for NE10 women's cross since Stonehill in 2018 and 2019.

Bentley matched SCSU with the Owls graduating significant contributors, but also returning Courtney Henchcliffe, who missed 2024-25 after sustaining an upper body injury.  With Henchcliffe, the Owls were the 2023 NE10 Cross Country Champions.

On the men's side Southern Connecticut is hunting for four straight championships.  The Owls were selected ahead of Bentley and recieved every possible first place vote (coaches are not allowed to vote for their own teams).  SCSU was senior-heavy last fall with sevenon the roster, but returners include Ryan Gagne and John Glidden, the top rookie runner a year ago.
 

	NE10 Women's 2025 XC Poll	Votes	1st Place
1	Southern Connecticut	81	5
2	Bentley	81	4
3	SNHU	77	1
4	St. Anselm	70
5	St. Michael's	55
6	Adelphi	49
7	Franklin Pierce	44
8	Assumption	33
9	Pace	26
10	American International	22

 

	NE10 Men's 2025 XC Poll	Votes	1st Place
1	Southern Connecticut	80	8
2	Bentley	70	1
3	Assumption	64
4	Franklin Pierce	53
5	SNHU	51
6	Adelphi	45
7	St. Anselm	42
8	St. Michael's	33
9	American International	19