WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – After finishing the 2025 season as the Division III National Runners-Up, the Mideast Region Champions, and the NESCAC Champions, the Williams College women's cross country team enters the 2026 season with plenty to be excited about.
The Ephs begin the season ranked second in the country in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association preseason poll, the same position they held at the conclusion of last season.
Additionally, the Ephs found themselves ranked second in the D3 Glory Days Preseason Rankings.
The Ephs open up the season this weekend, on Sept. 5 at the annual Little Three Championships hosted by Wesleyan before traveling to Middlebury the following weekend.
Williams then returns home on Sept. 19 for the Purple Valley Classic, the program's only home competition of the season.
Both teams will compete in four regular-season meets this year before championship racing begins on Oct. 31 at the NESCAC Championships, hosted by Middlebury.
The Ephs will then turn their attention to the NCAA postseason, racing at the NCAA Regional Championships on Nov. 15 hosted by Trinity College, and the NCAA Division III National Championships on Nov. 21 in Northfield, Minnesota, hosted by Carleton College.
The Ephs remain one of the few teams in the country able to return three All-Americans from last season,
Tamar Byl-Brann,
Morgan Eigel and
Kate Tuttle. All three runners all earned All-America honors at the 2025 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, finishing 18th, 20th and 40th, respectively.
Byl-Brann, Eigel and Tuttle will once again provide Williams with a strong foundation heading into the season, while
Jordan Liss-Riordan also returns as an important member of the Ephs' experienced group.
The returning trio continued to establish themselves among the top distance runners in Division III during the track & field season. Byl-Brann, Eigel and Tuttle each earned First Team All-America honors, with Tuttle leading the way with three All-America performances.
Tuttle earned two honors during the indoor season in the mile and 3,000 meters before adding another in the 1,500 meters during the outdoor season.
Williams will once again have its sights set on competing for the program's first national championship since 2015 and a potential fourth national title in program history.
