SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Yellowjacket women's cross country team were predicted to finish second in the 2025 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) preseason poll, the league revealed Thursday morning.
 
UW-Superior collected a total of 30 points and a first-place vote among the poll of conference coaches. Coming in first place with four first-place nods and 34 points was Crown College.
 
Following a year where the 'Jackets claimed the program's second straight conference championship, Superior returns a key trio of runners in junior Lilley Smith (Ironwood, Mich./Ironwood), alongside sophomores Simone Stephens (Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro) and Scarlett Vanderscheuren (Saginaw, Minn./South Ridge). Smith was the fourth team finisher in the 2024 UMAC Championship, crossing the line at 25:16. Vanderscheuren garnered a time of 26:56.7 as Superior's fifth team finisher, while Stephens took third place overall in 23:29.
 
Northwestern came in third and secured the final two first-place votes with 29 points. Martin Luther (19), Bethany Lutheran (16) and Minnesota Morris (12) followed while North Central rounded out the circuit with seven points.
 
The Yellowjackets commence the 2025 season at the Boulder Ridge Golf Club, seeing action at the Toni St. Pierre Invite Friday, Sept. 5. The race is scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m. in St. Cloud, Minn.