TURLOCK, Calif.--- The No. 13 nationally ranked Stan State women's cross country team will look to continue its successful 2026 campaign when the Warriors compete at the CCAA Cross Country Championships presented by Pollo Campero on Saturday, Nov. 7, at the CSUSB Cross Country Course in San Bernardino. Hosted by Cal State San Bernardino, the championships will feature the women's 6K race at 11 a.m., following the men's 8K race at 10 a.m.
 
Under the direction of head coach Darren Holman, the Warriors enter the postseason ranked second in the West Region by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Stan State finished among the top two teams in all three regular-season meets, capturing its second consecutive Kim Duyst Twilight championship and earning runner-up finishes at the USF Invitational and Bronco Invitational.
 
USTFCCCA Rankings
Stan State moved up one position to No. 13 nationally in the latest USTFCCCA NCAA Division II women's cross country coaches' poll. The Warriors received 145 points, up from 132 in the previous poll, and have remained among the nation's top 15 throughout the 2026 season.
 
Stan State began the season ranked No. 12 in the preseason poll and climbed as high as No. 11, holding that position or sharing it for three consecutive polls before moving to No. 14 for two weeks. The Warriors now enter the postseason ranked No. 13 nationally.

Stan State remains the second-highest-ranked team from the West Region behind No. 4 Chico State. Biola is No. 15, followed by No. 23 Western Washington, No. 26 Central Washington and No. 29 Cal Poly Pomona.
The Warriors are one of three CCAA programs ranked among the nation's top 30, joining Chico State and Cal Poly Pomona.

In the latest USTFCCCA West Region rankings, Stan State remains No. 2 behind Chico State. The Warriors have held the second spot in every regional poll this season. Biola is third, followed by Western Washington and Central Washington. Cal Poly Pomona is sixth, followed by Cal State Monterey Bay, Western Oregon, CUI and Northwest Nazarene.

Stan State is one of four CCAA programs among the West Region's top 10, joining Chico State, Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Monterey Bay.

2025 CCAA Championships Recap
Stan State placed second at the 2025 CCAA Cross Country Championships at Bidwell Park, totaling 24 points. Annie Wild led the Warriors with a runner-up finish in 21:39.5, followed by Izzy Soto in seventh (22:05.7), Jacqueline Sanchez-Silva in eighth (22:06.3), Nina Furtado in 10th (22:10.9) and Bela Moreno in 12th (22:12.3).

All five earned All-CCAA honors, with Wild collecting her third consecutive all-conference selection. The runner-up finish marked Stan State's third top-two conference finish in four seasons. The Warriors previously captured back-to-back CCAA titles in 2021 and 2022.

Meet-by-Meet Recap
USF Invitational (Sept. 4 – San Francisco, Calif.)
Stan State opened the 2026 season with a second-place finish out of 12 teams at the USF Invitational at Hellman Hollow, totaling 82 points. Stevie Holguin led the Warriors with a sixth-place finish in the 6K race, clocking 21:00.2 as the top non-Division I finisher. Her performance earned her the FloCollege/CCAA Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week honor.

Kim Duyst Twilight (Sept. 12 – Ceres, Calif.)
The Warriors captured their second consecutive Kim Duyst Twilight team championship at River Oaks Golf Course, scoring 22 points to finish 11 points ahead of NCAA Division I UC Santa Barbara in the seven-team field.

Holguin won the individual 6K title in 20:41.4, while Kekaihulali Halpern finished third (20:51.9), Annie Wild fourth (21:00.3), freshman Natalie Arriaza fifth (21:05.7) and Izzy Soto ninth (21:41.7). All five Stan State scorers finished among the top nine.  Holguin earned her second consecutive FloCollege/CCAA Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week honor following her victory.

Bronco Invitational (Oct. 17 – Sunnyvale, Calif.)
Stan State closed the regular season with a second-place finish in the 23-team Women's 6K Invitational at Baylands Regional Course. The Warriors totaled 77 points, finishing behind only No. 4 Chico State (46 points) and ahead of several NCAA Division I programs, including San Francisco, Santa Clara, Sacramento State, Fresno State and Cal Poly.

Halpern led the Warriors with a sixth-place finish in 20:34.9, followed by Wild in 12th (20:48.6), Arriaza in 17th (20:56.4), Soto in 26th (21:11.2) and Holguin in 27th (21:13.9).

NCAA Championship Qualification
The top three teams at each NCAA Division II regional championship automatically qualify for the NCAA Division II National Championships. An additional 10 teams nationwide receive at-large bids to complete the championship field. Each qualifying team may enter a maximum of seven runners at the national meet.

Individuals who are not members of qualifying teams can also advance to nationals. The top two individual finishers from nonqualifying teams at each regional automatically earn berths, along with any additional runners who finish among the top five overall and are not members of qualifying teams.

The full selection field for the 2026 NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Cross Country National Championships will be announced Monday, Nov. 23, on NCAA.com.

Up Next
The NCAA Division II West Regional will be held Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Arcade Creek Cross Country Course in Sacramento, with the women's race scheduled for 10:15 a.m. The NCAA Division II National Championship is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 4, at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence, Kansas.