The Emory University women's cross country team wrapped up another successful season, boasting four top-three team placements, seven All-Region honorees, and earning their 20th consecutive bid to the NCAA Championship.
The team used their mix of young talent and veteran leadership to lead them to a first-place win at the Chattanooga Intercollegiate, a Regional championship and a top-20 placement at the National Championship meet.
Consistency was the name of the game for the Eagles this season as they placed in the top ten at seven of their eight meets on the year. Consistent top performances from upperclassmen Madison Tiaffay and Cameron Gupta helped set the tone for the back half of the season as Gupta was the top team finisher in back-to-back meets at the Paul Short Run and the Chattanooga Intercollegiate and Tiaffay led the team at the UAA Championships and South Regional Championship. The team also saw success from its young core as freshman Ayla Cooke saw three top five placements on the year and fellow freshman Ashley Clyman earned three top 20 placements.
The Eagles began their season with back-to-back third place wins at the KSU Stan Sims Opener and the Queen City Invite. The freshmen duo of Cooke and Clyman led the squad at the Stan Sims Opener, with both placing in the top 20 in their Emory debut. Cooke took that momentum into the Queen City Invite as she was the top Eagles finisher in that contest as well, placing 26th overall in a crowded field of 228 runners.
This was followed by a doubleheader Saturday as the team split between the Georgia Tech Invitational and the Paul Short Run, with the squad placing sixth at both events. The Georgia Tech Invitational saw success from freshmen Madeleine Chen as she led the squad with her time of 23:05.4, placing 36th overall. Gupta led the team at the Paul Short run, coming in 38th place out of 404 runners to help secure Emory's top ten spot.
After a short mid-season break, the team hit the ground running as they earned a first-place win at the Chattanooga Intercollegiate. The entire squad placed in the top 20 and held nine of the top ten spots, with Gupta taking first overall with a time of 22:15.48.
The team kept their momentum going into the postseason as they raced in the UAA Championships, placing fifth in the team standings with Tiaffay, Davis Johnson, Elizabeth Csikai and Payton Fleming all placing in the top 30.
With a team bid to the National Championship on the line, the squad put on a show at the NCAA South Regional Championship, taking first overall and punching their ticket to the National Championship meet. The entire team placed in the top 20 as Tiaffay, Johnson and Fleming all earned PRs and Csikai earned her season best. Tiaffay was the squad's top finisher as she took third overall with a time of 21:41.30.
The Eagles season ended at the National Championship as they took 18th place out of 32 teams. Csikai and Tiaffay led the squad as they placed in the top 100 in a crowded field of 290 runners.
The Eagles earned the following honors for the 2025 season:
