Men’s Cross Country Picked Fourth, Women Picked Seventh in SEC Preseason Poll
8/26/2025 1:00:00 PM | Cross Country
The Tigers host their first of three home meets on Friday.
Mizzou's men's cross country team has been picked to finish fourth in the Southeastern Conference heading into the 2025 season by the league's coaches, while the women's teams has been selected seventh, the conference announced on Tuesday.
Both the men's and women's teams earned higher placements compared to the 2024 SEC coaches' preseason poll, where the men stood in ninth and the women in 11th.
"Rankings are a nice acknowledgment of the growth of our team over the last season, but we will continue to prepare for the season the same way," head cross country coach Kyle Levermore said. "We excited about the potential of both groups and are aware of how many weeks are ahead of us."
In addition to the SEC announcement, the Tigers were given preseason predictions from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) at the regional and national levels. The men claimed the fourth spot in the Midwest region, with the women in sixth. The men's team received votes in the USTFCCCA national poll as well.
Missouri prepares to begin the 2025 cross country season with the Mizzou XC Opener on Friday, August 28. The contest marks the fifth consecutive year that the Mizzou XC Opener served as program's first race of the season. In 2024, the men and women took first in their respective races.
The season opener begins the first of three competitions scheduled in Columbia at its home facility before the program hosts the 2025 NCAA Cross Country National Championships in November.
Missouri capped off the 2024 season with the men finishing the 2024 NCAA Midwest Cross Country Regional Championships in ninth place, while the women's squad tallied 11th. Seniors Drew Rogers and Rahel Broemmel return to the course after leading the men and women in the regional competition, also finishing as All-SEC Second Team members.
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