LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced the results of their preseason women's cross country coaches' poll on Thursday. Clarion was predicted to finish 10th in the conference in the 2026 season.

Last year the Golden Eagles also took 10th at the PSAC Championships, with Abigail Butera earning all-conference honors with a 22nd place finish. That made Butera the first all-conference performer for the Golden Eagles since Mackenzie Carver in 2023. That served as the springboard for Butera during the track & field season, where she cracked the program's top five performance list in a handful of mid-distance events. 

Clarion returns six of its top seven finishers from last year's cross country team, including senior Emmy Davis and sophomore Raechel Braun. Those two combined with Butera to be the Golden Eagles' top three finishers at the Atlantic Regional, with Braun and Butera both finishing in the top-40 at the meet.

The 2026 season opens on Saturday, September 5 at the Doug Watts Open hosted by Edinboro. This year's PSAC Championships are slated for Saturday, November 7 at Bloomsburg, and the NCAA Atlantic Regional will take place two weeks later in Kernersville, N.C.