Isaac Fernandez, Assistant SID

ASHLAND – The Southern Oregon women were fourth and the men fifth in the Cascade Conference cross country preseason coaches' polls, while the Corban men's and College of Idaho women's teams sat on top.

On the women's side, College of Idaho is seeking its seventh consecutive CCC title and looks to build off of a seventh-place showing at the NAIA Championships. In the 2024 season, the Raiders produced a second-place finish in the CCC for the sixth straight year and a 16th-place finish at the national meet. 

They bring back the conference's top returner in junior Alyssa Johnson, who finished runner-up in last year's CCC Championships and became an NAIA All-American after a 32nd-place finish at the NAIA Championships. Last spring, she produced a standout season on the track, earning two NAIA All-America honors after finishing seventh in the 10K and eighth in the 5K.

Cobran was the favorite on the men's side with 128 points, while College of Idaho – last year's NAIA Champion – was just behind with 125 points. The Raiders, who finished fifth at last year's CCC Championships for the second consecutive season, took up the fifth spot. 

Southern Oregon lost its only individual male qualifier from last year's NAIA Championships in Jalen Griego, but fortunately for the Raiders, they return junior Mason Weisgerber, who became an NAIA Track and Field All-American in the 5K and ran an NAIA No. 6 time in the event at the Oregon State High Performance meet (14:15.92) last spring.

The Raiders open up their season on Sept. 6 at the Simpson Invitational in Cottonwood, Calif.

2025 CCC Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll

Team (1st-place votes)	Points
1. College of Idaho (13)	141
2. Lewis-Clark State	123
3. Eastern Oregon	118
4. Southern Oregon	113
5. Oregon Tech	85
6. Evergreen	79
7. Corban	71
8. Northwest	57
9. Bushnell	55
10. Trinity Western	42
11. Walla Walla	29
12. Warner Pacific	19

2025 CCC Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll

Team (1st-place votes)	Points
1. Corban (5)	128
2. College of Idaho (5)	125
3. Eastern Oregon (2)	116
4. Lewis-Clark State	107
5. Southern Oregon	97
6. Trinity Western	77
7. Northwest	71
8. Oregon Tech	66
9. Evergreen	55
10. Bushnell	40
11. Walla Walla	28
12. Warner Pacific	20