ALISO VIEJO, Calif. - Chico State has been selected as the favorite in the 2026 CCAA Women's Cross Country Coaches Preseason Poll as the Wildcats begin their pursuit of a fourth consecutive conference championship.
 
Chico State collected 12 of the 13 first-place votes and 168 points to earn the top spot. Stanislaus State received the remaining first-place vote and finished second with 153 points, while Cal Poly Pomona was third with 142 points.

2026 CCAA Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll
Team	Points
Chico State (12)	168
Stanislaus State (1)	153
Cal Poly Pomona	142
Cal State San Marcos	124
Fresno Pacific	97
Cal State Monterey Bay	92
Cal State East Bay	91
Cal Poly Humboldt	89
Cal State San Bernardino	76
San Francisco State	58
UC Merced	46
Cal State LA	31
Cal State Dominguez Hills	16
First-place votes in parentheses

 

Cal State San Marcos was selected fourth with 124 points. New CCAA member Fresno Pacific debuted at No. 5 with 97 points, followed by a tightly grouped trio of Cal State Monterey Bay (92), Cal State East Bay (91) and Cal Poly Humboldt (89). Cal State San Bernardino was voted ninth with 76 points. San Francisco State (58), UC Merced (46), Cal State LA (31) and Cal State Dominguez Hills (16) completed the 13-team poll.
 
Chico State enters 2026 after putting together one of its strongest postseason runs in recent years. The Wildcats scored 25 points at the 2025 CCAA Championships to capture their third consecutive conference title and 15th in the last 17 seasons. Chico placed five runners in the top 10 and seven among the first 15 finishers as it held off Stanislaus State for the championship. Chico's success continued into the NCAA postseason, where it won its second consecutive West Region Championship, with all five scoring runners finishing among the top 12. Chico State then placed eighth at the NCAA Championships, its best national finish since taking seventh in 2019.
 
Stanislaus State remains Chico State's closest challenger in the preseason poll after another strong 2025 campaign. The Warriors placed five runners among the top 12 at the CCAA Championships and finished second with 39 points. Stan State then took fifth at the NCAA West Regional to earn its second consecutive at-large berth to the NCAA Championships. The Warriors saved one of their best performances for the national stage. Stanislaus State entered the NCAA Championships ranked No. 22 but finished 12th, matching the best NCAA finish in program history. It marked the third time in the last five NCAA Championships that Stan State has qualified as a team.
 
Cal Poly Pomona was voted third in the third consecutive preseason poll after finishing in the same position at the 2025 CCAA Championships. The Broncos elevated their performance in the postseason, taking second at the NCAA West Regional after entering the meet ranked eighth in the region. CPP then finished 16th at the NCAA Championships for its best national result since 2017.
 
The performances by Chico State, Stanislaus State and Cal Poly Pomona gave the CCAA three teams among the top 16 at the NCAA Championships. It was the first time since 2009 that three CCAA women's programs competed as teams at the national championships.
 
Cal State San Marcos was selected fourth after placing fourth at last year's CCAA Meet. The Cougars have now recorded six consecutive top-5 finishes at the conference meet and went on to place 13th at the NCAA West Regional in 2025.
 
Fresno Pacific enters its first CCAA season in the No. 5 position. The Sunbirds finished sixth at the 2025 PacWest Championships before placing 15th at the NCAA West Regional. Fresno Pacific also showed its potential during the regular season by winning the UC Riverside Invitational 5K team title.
 
Only three points separate the next three teams in the preseason poll. Cal State Monterey Bay was selected sixth after finishing sixth at the 2025 CCAA Championships and 16th at the NCAA West Regional. Cal State East Bay edged the Otters by one point to place fifth at last year's conference meet and was voted seventh this season. Cal Poly Humboldt follows just two points behind in eighth. Cal State San Bernardino was picked ninth, followed by San Francisco State, UC Merced, Cal State LA and Cal State Dominguez Hills.
 
Fresno Pacific officially joined the CCAA on July 1, 2026, increasing the women's cross country field to 13 programs. (Menlo does not have men's or women's cross country)
 
The 2026 season will lead into the CCAA Cross Country Championships presented by Pollo Campero on Saturday, Nov. 7. The championships return to the Cal State San Bernardino campus for the first time since 2018, with the women's 6K scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.