2026 Women's Cross Country Season Preview

8/31/2026 4:00:00 PM

LEXINGTON, Va. — Coming off its second consecutive trip to the NCAA Division III Championships, the Washington and Lee University women’s cross country team enters the 2026 season looking to build on an ODAC championship and 15th-place national finish from a season ago.

Under 13th-year head coach Mike Dager, the Generals return six members of their 2025 NCAA Championship lineup and nine All-ODAC performers from a squad that captured the program's 21st conference title and finished runner-up at the NCAA South Region Championships. W&L enters the fall ranked No. 16 nationally and No. 2 in the South Region by the USTFCCCA, while D3 Glory Days has the Generals at No. 14 nationally.

The Blue and White open the 2026 campaign on Friday, Sept. 4, at the Virginia Tech Invitational at the Buford Meredith Cross Country Course in Blacksburg, Va., with the women's 4K projected to begin at 6 p.m.

The Old Dominion Athletic Conference also released its season outlook. Read the ODAC Cross Country Season Preview.

2026 Women's Cross Country Team on Colonnade - Media Day

the 2026 Generals Women's Cross Country Team on the Colonnade

USTFCCCA NATIONAL POLL

Washington and Lee University enters the 2026 season firmly in the national conversation following its 15th-place finish at the 2025 NCAA Division III Championships. The Generals are ranked No. 14 by D3 Glory Days and No. 16 in the USTFCCCA Preseason National Coaches Poll, while the USTFCCCA lists W&L No. 2 in the South Region behind defending regional champion Emory. W&L also checks in at No. 20 in the preseason USTFCCCA Cross Country Rating Index (XCRI).

The Generals return six runners from their 2025 NCAA Championships lineup, headlined by senior Olivia Warr, who finished fourth individually at nationals to earn her second consecutive All-America honor. Warr also returns as the defending South Region individual champion, while Lydia Harvey gives W&L another proven national performer after placing second at the regional championship and 50th at nationals last fall.

W&L's returning national experience extends throughout the lineup with Reese Brown, Josie Engle, Adelaide Ellis and Maddy Morgan all back after competing at the 2025 NCAA Championships. Brown and Engle also return as All-Region performers, while all four produced personal-best performances across various distance events during the 2026 track and field seasons.

That returning group helped W&L capture the 2025 ODAC Championship, finish runner-up at the South Region Championship and earn a second consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships. The Generals will look to replace just one member of last year's national lineup, Eve Spencer, while adding a first-year class that includes Laura Sallade, Emma Watson and Annabel Bayler, each of whom arrives at W&L with a sub-19-minute high school 5K.

The USTFCCCA South Region preseason rankings project No. 1 Emory as the region's automatic qualifier with W&L next in line at No. 2, followed by Catholic, Rhodes and Lynchburg.

D3 Glory Days | USTFCCCA National Rankings | USTFCCCA Regional Rankings | USTFCCA Rankings Central

ODAC Preview

WXC at Bridgewater 2025 - Team Picture on Starting line

The Generals kick of the 2026 campaign at Virginia Tech

SCHEDULE PREVIEW

The Washington and Lee women’s cross country team is set for a challenging 2026 campaign that will take the Generals from familiar courses across Virginia to nationally competitive invitationals throughout the East Coast. With multiple opportunities to test themselves against South Region competition and championship-caliber fields, the schedule is built to prepare the Blue and White for another postseason run.

Early Season Spotlight

The Generals open the 2026 season on Friday, Sept. 4, at the Virginia Tech Invitational at the Buford Meredith Cross Country Course in Blacksburg, Va. The season-opening 4K is projected to begin at 6 p.m.

W&L returns to Blacksburg two weeks later for the Hokie Invitational on Friday, Sept. 18, before making a quick turnaround for the ODAC Championship Preview on Saturday, Sept. 19, at Kernstown Battlefield in Winchester, Va. The 10 a.m. race will give the Generals an early look at the same course that will host the conference championship six weeks later.

October brings several of the most competitive opportunities on the regular-season slate. W&L travels to the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University on Friday, Oct. 2, with racing projected for 1:15 p.m., before heading south for the Royals Challenge at McAlpine Creek Park in Charlotte, N.C., on Friday, Oct. 9.

The Generals close the regular season with two scheduled opportunities on Saturday, Oct. 17. W&L will compete at Roanoke's South Region Showdown at Green Hill Park in Salem, Va., while members of the team are also scheduled to travel north for the Connecticut College Invitational at Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, Conn. Those races provide the final competitive opportunities before championship season begins two weeks later.

Regular Season Opportunities to Cheer in Person

Several regular-season meets keep the Generals within reach for regional fans looking to cheer on the Blue and White in person this fall.

Friday, Sept. 4 – Virginia Tech Invitational (6 p.m.) at the Buford Meredith Cross Country Course in Blacksburg, Va.

Friday, Sept. 18 – Hokie Invitational (6 p.m.) at the Buford Meredith Cross Country Course in Blacksburg, Va.

Saturday, Sept. 19 – ODAC Championship Preview (10 a.m.) at Kernstown Battlefield in Winchester, Va.

Saturday, Oct. 17 – Roanoke's South Region Showdown (10 a.m.) at Green Hill Park in Salem, Va.

Postseason Schedule

The postseason begins on Saturday, Oct. 31, when the Generals return to Kernstown Battlefield in Winchester, Va., for the ODAC Championships, hosted by Shenandoah University. The women's championship race is projected to begin at 10 a.m. W&L enters the fall as the defending conference champion after capturing the program's 21st ODAC title in 2025.

Note: The ODAC Championship can be followed online on FloCollege.com. A subscription will need to be purchased to watch the meet. More information about the ODAC's media broadcasting agreement with FloSports can be found HERE.

Two weeks later, W&L travels to Panorama Farms in Earlysville, Va., for the NCAA South Region Championships on Saturday, Nov. 14. The women's race is projected to begin at 10 a.m. The Generals finished runner-up in the South Region in 2025 and return the region's top two individual finishers in Olivia Warr and Lydia Harvey as they pursue another opportunity to advance to the national stage.

The season culminates on Saturday, Nov. 21, with the NCAA Division III National Championships at the Bill Huyck Cross Country Course in Northfield, Minn. The women's championship race is projected for noon ET (11 a.m. CT). W&L is coming off a 15th-place finish at the 2025 national meet and returns six runners with NCAA Championships experience as the Generals look to earn a third consecutive trip to nationals.

Note: Meet schedule, individual participation and start times are subject to change. Start times will be confirmed once host institutions publish their final meet-day timing sheets and starting lists. Check out the full 2026 W&L women's cross country season HERE.

2025 Women's Cross Country Team Championship at Bridgewater

The W&L women's cross country team poses with the 2025 ODAC Trophy.

KEY RETURNERS

The Generals return the bulk of a championship-tested lineup in 2026, including nine All-ODAC performers and six members of last year's NCAA Championship squad. The group helped W&L capture the ODAC Championship, finish runner-up at the NCAA South Region Championships and place 15th at the NCAA Division III Championships and is headlined by two-time All-American and reigning South Region champion Olivia Warr.

Olivia Warr ’27 – Warr enters her senior season following a historic 2025 campaign that culminated in a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, the best national finish by a women's runner in ODAC history. The two-time All-American also repeated as the ODAC and South Region individual champion and enters 2026 as one of the nation's top returning runners.

Lydia Harvey ’27 – Harvey produced a standout junior campaign, finishing runner-up at both the ODAC and South Region championships before placing 50th at the NCAA Championships. The two-time national qualifier earned First Team All-ODAC honors and was named the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Maddy Morgan ’28 – Morgan broke into the Generals' championship lineup in a big way last fall, placing fifth at the ODAC Championships to earn First Team All-ODAC honors. She went on to compete at the NCAA Championships and returns with valuable national-stage experience entering her junior season.

Reese Brown ’28 – Brown earned her first First Team All-ODAC citation with a seventh-place finish at the conference championship before competing in the NCAA postseason. She finished 140th at nationals as W&L secured its second consecutive top-15 team finish.

Josie Engle ’29 – Engle made an immediate impact during her first collegiate season, placing eighth at the ODAC Championships to earn Second Team All-ODAC honors. She continued into W&L's postseason lineup and gained valuable experience in her first trip to the NCAA Championships.

Adelaide Ellis ’29 – Ellis joined Engle as an immediate contributor during her rookie campaign, finishing ninth at the ODAC Championships for Second Team All-ODAC honors before earning a spot in the Generals' NCAA Championship lineup.

The Generals' returning depth extends beyond their 2025 national lineup. Amelia Weenig and Mary Gorsky return after earning Second Team All-ODAC honors last fall, while Audrey Robinson collected Third Team recognition. Together, W&L returns nine of the 11 runners who earned all-conference honors during a dominant championship performance that saw 10 Generals finish among the top 15.

With nine All-ODAC performers and six members of last year's NCAA Championship squad returning, W&L enters 2026 with postseason experience throughout its roster as the Generals look to build on an ODAC championship, South Region runner-up finish and 15th-place national showing from a season ago.

2026 Women's Cross Country Seniors - Media Day

The 2026 Women's Cross Country team totes an experienced senior class with Reese Brown, Lucie Graziano, Sofia Petrucelli and Olivia Warr serving as the team captains.

Senior Reese Brown ’27 enters the 2026 season as a captain and one of the Generals' most experienced postseason performers. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native produced a really strong junior campaign in 2025, earning First Team All-ODAC and All-Region honors while helping Washington and Lee capture the ODAC Championship and advance to the NCAA Division III Championships.

Brown placed seventh at the 2025 ODAC Championships in 23:02.6, giving W&L its fourth First Team All-ODAC finisher during a dominant 21-point team performance. She continued as a member of the Generals' scoring seven through the NCAA postseason, helping W&L finish runner-up in the South Region and earn an at-large berth to nationals. Brown then placed 140th at the NCAA Championships in 23:06.7 as the Generals finished 15th nationally.

Brown followed her success on the course with an outstanding season on the track this past spring.

Her championship résumé also includes All-Region recognition in 2023, when she placed 14th at the ODAC Championships and 21st at the NCAA South Regional as a first-year.

A Cognitive and Behavioral Science major, Brown has matched her athletic success in the classroom as a multi-year W&L Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-ODAC honoree and a two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic selection. She is also active in community service, previously volunteering with organizations including Phoenix Children's Hospital, Forever Loved Pet Sanctuary and Maury River Middle School.

With multiple All-Region performances and NCAA Championship experience to draw upon, Brown provides a proven and well-rounded leadership presence for the Blue and White entering her senior season.

Senior Lucie Graziano ’27 brings a unique combination of middle-distance speed and cross country experience to the Generals' leadership group in 2026. The Irondequoit High School product has developed into an accomplished contributor across W&L's cross country and track and field programs while establishing herself as a versatile presence for the Blue and White.

On the track, Graziano was a member of W&L's school-record 4x400-meter relay in 2026, earning First Team All-ODAC and VaSID First Team All-State honors in the event. Her résumé also includes USTFCCCA All-Region recognition in the distance medley relay and All-ODAC honors in the 800 meters and 4x400 relay. She owns personal bests of 2:20.55 in the 800 meters and 59.79 in the 400 meters.

Away from competition, Graziano is a Business Administration major with a minor in Journalism and Strategic Communications and contributes to InGeneral Magazine. Her experience across multiple disciplines and commitment to the program add another veteran voice to the Generals' leadership as W&L begins its 2026 championship pursuit.

Senior Sofia Petrucelli ’27 brings veteran experience and a steady presence to the Generals' leadership group as she enters her fourth season with the program. The Ponte Vedra, Fla., native and Bolles School product has contributed across both cross country and track and field during her W&L career.

On the track, Petrucelli competes primarily in the middle-distance events and owns personal bests of 2:21 in the 800 meters and 5:19 in the mile, adding another versatile distance runner to the Generals' roster.

Away from competition, Petrucelli is pursuing a double major in American Politics and Chinese and is a member of W&L's Pre-Law Society. Her experience within the program and involvement across campus provide another veteran voice for the Blue and White as the Generals pursue their championship goals in 2026.

Senior Olivia Warr ’27 enters her final season as a captain and one of the most accomplished runners in Washington and Lee women's cross country history. The Middleburg, Va., native has established herself among the nation's elite while helping lead the Generals to consecutive NCAA Championship appearances and ODAC titles in each of the last two seasons.

Warr is a two-time cross country All-American, highlighted by a historic fourth-place finish at the 2025 NCAA Division III Championships, the best national finish by a women's runner in ODAC history. She has won back-to-back ODAC and NCAA South Region individual championships, including a course-record 21:39.8 at the 2025 conference meet, and helped W&L finish a program-record eighth nationally in 2024 before another top-15 showing in 2025.

Her success extends to the track, where Warr competes from the 1,500 meters through the 10,000 meters. She owns personal bests of 4:28 in the 1,500 meters, 9:38 in the 3,000 meters, 16:56 in the 5,000 meters and 34:53 in the 10,000 meters.

A Cognitive and Behavioral Science major with a Philosophy minor, Warr brings extensive championship experience to her role as captain. After two seasons at the front of W&L's postseason runs, she enters her senior campaign as a proven leader for a Generals team once again carrying conference, regional and national aspirations.

Coach Michael Dager

We’ve spent a lot of time during preseason establishing a supportive team culture, talking about what we hope to accomplish and enjoying the process of chasing big goals.

Our annual time trial went incredibly well, and we’re excited to test ourselves against a strong field at Virginia Tech next week.

We aren’t putting too much stock in the preseason polls, as they’re largely based on NCAA and regional finishes from a year ago. That said, it’s nice to have the program recognized by the USTFCCCA, D3 Glory Days and The Stride Report. We expect the rankings to shift throughout the season, but our focus is on preparing to perform at our best during the NCAA qualifying window and, ultimately, at the ODAC and regional championships.

Head Coach Michael Dager