The UIS women's cross country team has been ranked third of 14 teams in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) preseason poll for the fall 2025 season. This ranking reflects the team's anticipated performance as they prepare for the upcoming competitive season, based on the votes of the league's head coaches.

In the 2024 season, UIS achieved a fourth-place finish at the GLVC Championship and placed 13th at the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional. The team is coached by Emmons King, who is entering his fourth season with the Prairie Stars. Leading the team are top returners and All-GLVC honorees Maddie Miller-Ross and Kaliegh Inniss. Last year, Miller-Ross secured an eighth-place finish at the GLVC Championships and 22nd at the NCAA Regional, while Inniss placed 16th at the GLVC Championships and 46th at the NCAA Regional.

Miller-Ross, an indoor track & field All-American and a national qualifier in both indoor and outdoor track, will look to add more cross country accolades this season. Alongside her and Inniss, Marissa Roggensack and Josslyn Gaona are expected to strengthen the Prairie Stars' scoring lineup. Additionally, Victoria Regitz, a transfer from GLVC foe Missouri S&T, finished just two spots shy of All-GLVC honors last fall and looks to break into the conference's top ranks this season.

UIS received a total of 140 points in the preseason poll, positioning them just behind Southwest Baptist, who garnered 149 points and one first-place vote, and the top-ranked Lewis, who received 169 points with 11 first-place votes. The Prairie Stars aim to surpass their previous best finishes and break into the top three at the conference meet for the first time in program history.

UIS will commence its season at the 10th Annual Prairie Star Invitational on Sept. 5, where the Prairie Stars will face several GLVC opponents. A highlight of their season will be the mid-October Lewis Crossover, renowned for its high-caliber Division II cross country competition.

GLVC Poll and Story