Young VCSU Cross Country Runners Picked 8th

Helena MT – The Valley City State Cross Country team has been picked eighth in the Frontier Conference preseason poll.

The Viking women are a young, yet motivated squad led by national qualifier Karly Just. The senior earned All-Conference honors by placing second at the NSAA Championships and she placed 76^th at the NAIA National Championships. The highest finish at nationals for a Viking in over 30 years. Just also holds the school records in the 6K and marathon. Junior Emma Muggli also returns from 2024 squad. They are joined by freshmen Frida Barrera, Paiton Flick, and Billie Maye Pohlkamp.

Montana Tech, who won their first ever Frontier Conference Women’s Cross Country conference last season at Amend Park in Billings, Mont., was preseason coaches’ favorite to repeat the league title. The conference preseason poll was announced Tuesday morning, where coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams.

The cross-country league grew with five new programs this year, Bellevue (Neb.), Bismarck State (N.D.), Dakota State
(S.D.), Dickinson State (N.D.), and Valley City State (N.D.), bringing a total of 11 cross-country teams.

The Orediggers tallied eight first-place votes with 97 points to secure the top spot in the conference preseason poll.
Carroll (Mont.) recorded two first-place votes with 89 points to finish second. Dakota State (S.D.) picked up the final first
place votes and 84 points to place third.
MT placed 21st in the NAIA National Women’s Cross Country Championship last season, while DaSU finished 30th
.
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) finished fourth with 75 points, followed by Dickinson State (N.D.) who edged Bismarck State by
one point (54-53) for fifth place. Montana Western was seventh (45 points), Valley City State eighth (43 points), Bellevue
ninth (28 points), MSU-Northern 10th (20 points), and Providence (Mont.) 11th (17 points).

The NAIA Cross Country season officially kicks off late next week (Aug. 29).

The Frontier Conference will be holding their virtual media day, tentatively scheduled for Oct. 1 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
(Mountain Time). Stay tuned to the fcsports.com website for the virtual media day schedule with the cross-country
programs via Frontier Conference’s YouTube live streaming platform.

The women’s cross conference championship meet returns to Amend Park in Billings on Friday, Nov. 7, with the time to
be announced later. The team winner will receive the Frontier Conference’s automatic bid for the NAIA National Championships on Friday, Nov. 20 at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla.

Below is the complete 2025 Frontier Conference Women’s Cross Country Coaches’ Preseason Poll: