EASTON, Mass. (August 11, 2025) – The Stonehill College men's cross country team has been selected to finish third in the 2025 NEC Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the conference Monday afternoon.

This marks the second straight season the Skyhawks have been picked to finish third, following a fourth-place projection in 2023 and a sixth-place spot in their inaugural NEC campaign in 2022.

Two-time defending NEC Champion Central Connecticut State University was unanimously selected as the preseason favorite by the conference's head coaches. Wagner was slotted second, just ahead of Stonehill, while LIU and Saint Francis tied for fourth to round out the top five.

Entering her 28th season at the helm, head coach Karen Boen returns 12 runners from last season's squad and welcomes seven newcomers. The Skyhawks are coming off back-to-back third-place finishes at the NEC Championship meet.

Leading the returners is junior Dylan Brilliant, who has earned All-NEC honors in each of his first two seasons. Brilliant placed ninth at the 2023 championship meet and improved to fifth in 2024, recording times of 25:51.8 and 26:00.2, respectively, over the eight-kilometer course.

Stonehill opens its 2025 campaign on Saturday, August 30, with members of the squad competing at both the Suffolk Invitational and the UMass Ken O'Brien Minuteman Invitational.

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