Texas A&M Women's Cross Country 2025 Season Preview
Revenge season? Redemption Season? Both fitting titles for this upcoming 2025 season for our distance divas who are looking to rebound after an injury defined 2024 season. Coming off a 2023 season that saw our ladies advance to the NCAA National Cross Country Meet; our ladies were primed to make 2024 another historic season. They had returned lots of talent, brought in a stellar freshman class, and were also supposed to bring in star international recruit Debora Cherono from Kenya. Things were all looking up for this group.
2024 Recap
Unfortunately the setbacks began. Firstly, Cherono was unable to enroll in time for the fall semester. Our senior Maddie Livingston was coming into the year not as her old self due to injury, as was Shewaye Johnson who began the season injured and planned to redshirt. After leading our team in meet one winning the race, high school All-American and freshman superstar San Juanita Leal injured her foot and was forced to miss the majority of the season. Hobbled up, 2024 became an uphill climb. Our regional foes Arkansas, although not as strong as they have historically have been, and Tulane had loaded up in the portal. LSU returned plenty of talent, and tu lost a lot. Another top two finish was still in play, but near perfection would almost be a necessity.
Despite the setbacks, there were some promising signs. Redshirt freshman Megan Roberts bursted onto the scene beating some of the veterans on our roster. We all saw what she accomplished on the track in conference and even at the National Prelims, but those who followed saw her vast improvement on the grass in the fall. She'd go on to be our second best runner in conference and 3rd best runner at regionals. She had improved tremendously since her high school times and had established herself as one of the most talented runners on our roster. As I mentioned San Juanita Leal (or SJ) had only ran two races in the maroon and white before injury. She won the cowboy preview, which was a 4k, and placed 3rd in a 5k on her home course leading the Aggies. Her high school accolades could fill a novel and her talent was translating well to the college level. She was looking to be our number 1 for the entire season. A leg injury would sideline her the rest of the season and we could only hope she's healthy for 2025. Freshman Maddie Peters of Pearland Dawson would earn a spot in the lineup with her consistency and provided another bright spot as well. Veteran Kennedy Fontenot who was a big reason for the 2023 success, would be a mainstay at the top of our lineup Another veteran Emma Little was another dependable piece in the lineup for us.
Maddie Livingston, our leader, and one of the most talented distance runners from A&M this past decade had missed the entire 2024 track season due to injury and wasn't running like her old self during the 2024 cross season. A fully healthy Livingston would have been towards the top of the conference and region, but she had a big hill to climb. It hurt to see her go out like that, yet she still gave it her all every single meet and I'm sure provided excellent leadership to an overall younger team. Shewaye Johnson was another held back by injury. She ran one race unattached towards the end of the season and showed she was healthy enough to be placed back in the lineup and forgo her redshirt. She only ran 2 races for Texas A&M, conference and regionals. She'd finish as our 4th runner at. conference behind Fontenot, Roberts, and Peters. However, she finished as our top runner at regionals in an amazing race.
Despite the uphill battle, the girls still ran their hearts out and had a promising season, but fell short of their goals. injuries didn't help and I'm certain not having Cherono was a big blow. They were competitive in many meets as the year went on. Our top 5 at conference were Fontenot, Roberts, Peters, Johnson, and Elise Smoot. They placed 10th in the conference after finishing 6th in 2023. A disappointing result, but the goal of top two at regionals was still in play if they could get healthier. Arkansas was loaded at the top with Paitlyn Noe. Sydney Thorvaldsen, and Mia Cochran. Tulane had lots of Africans and veteran talent. tu, SMU, and LSU had some returning talent as well. We were down Leal, and had Livingston and Johnson not as their 2023 self. Regionals was a rough race as came in 6th. Shewaye Johnson surprisingly led the way for the Age with Kennedy Fontenot close behind. Roberts and Peters would come in 3rd and 4th for us with Maddie Livingston rounding out the top 5. With no one in the top 20 and our 4th and 5th outside the top 35, a top 2 finish would be out of reach. As a team they finished 6th behind Arkansas, tu, Tulane, LSU, and SMU. It was a bitter ending to a hopeful season and I'm sure the ladies are eager to shake the bad taste off of their mouth.
2025 Track
It's always interesting to see how these distance ladies bounce back on the track or carry on their momentum from cross country season. in the 2023 track season we saw Maddie Livingston emerge as one of our top runners and we saw it carry to the xc season. As did Kennedy Fontenot who had a great season in 2024 on the track and on the grass. After a rough xc season, it was imperative to see how our girls would respond on the track. Unfortunately we didn't get to see Leal run on the track aside from a couple laps indoors unattached as a rehab workout. However, we did finally get to see Debora Cherono enroll and race in the maroon and white.
From her first mile indoors to the 4th place place finish nationally in the steeple, all of Aggieland beams aware of her talent and fearless running. Cherono has already made her mark on the track, now we're all eager to see what she does this fall. Along side her was Kennady Fontenot who alternated breaking the school record with Cherono and also qualified to nationals. Fontenot also ran extremely well across the 3k and 5k. Freshman Roberts continued her momentum on the track where she would make her mark where she would place 8th indoors in the 3k and 5k against loaded competition!! She would then run just as great outdoors where she placed 7th in conference outdoors in the 10k and qualified to the NCAA National prelims in the both the 5k and 10k where she would run well above her ranking and finish 17th and 22nd.
As Cherono, Fontenot, and Roberts led the way for our distance group on the track. Other notable performers were Emma Little in the steeple who also made the NCAA prelims as she dropped her PR time significantly. Avery Perkins looked solid outdoors as did Maddie Jones and Penelope Gracey.
Track, is not the only indicator, but a great one to see how the fall would look like for our distance group. Our distance group ran exceptionally well after a round ending to the cross season. Let's hope that momentum carries into the fall!
Departures
2025 will be without some familiar faces on the course. Maddie Livingston who has been a fixture in our lineup since her first race freshman year has graduated. The Dripping Springs product has helped turn around this distance program and raised the standard for Texas A&M Cross Country. She led this team to nationals in 2023 and this program isn't on the rise without her. It'll feel different without her on the roster. We'll also be without Nicole Chastain. She came from high school in Georgia and made a home here in Aggieland and showed tremendous improvement each year. Although I'm not sure where she stands eligibility wise, she has been in college 5 years and may have a 6th year at least in cross because she was a listed as junior last year. But I'm not sure if Elise Smoot is coming back, although she is earning her masters here. I'd love to be wrong and I hope she can still run.
We did have one transfer out in Shewaye Johnson. This one's hard to wrap my head around as she finishes off the year really strong in cross country as our fastest runner at regionals. She even went on to run exceptionally well in track by placing 10th in the 10k outdoors in conference. North Dakota announced her signing and I was shocked to see it, but I hope everything works for the best for her side! She had a tremendous and inspiring story coming out of high school and I'll always be a Shewaye Johnson fan!
I'm also certain that there will be some more departures due to roster cuts, but without a roster we haven't heard or seen anything made public yet.
Newcomers
Technically we all know her and she's been in Aggieland since January, however Debora Cherono is a newcomer to Texas A&M Cross Country. We all saw her place her name in Aggie history every time she stepped on the track this season! She continuously broke her school record as she PR's every single time she competed in the event. She went on to place 4th at the NCAA Finals in the event and solidify herself as a distance phenom! She also broke the school record for the mile with a time of 4:38! She committed to the Aggies before last cross season but sadly she didn't enroll for the fall of 2024. Now that we know she's enrolled and is expected to compete for us this fall. Man oh man, it's time to dream big! She can help take this team to a higher level with her talent. She has raced in a 6k cross country course before Aggieland and her time was an insane 19:54 that was ran at altitude a few years ago. There's no saying how much her fitness level has improved and I'm extremely excited to see what she does this season in the maroon and white!! She can be the difference between us making nationals and not, this season could be historic with Cherono leading the charge!
We also added a trio of excellent freshman! Headlined by Sophia Bendet of Universal City Randolph just outside of San Antonio. Bendet comes in with some crazy PR's, a 4:40 mile which is 2 seconds off of Debora Cherono's mile school record. She has a 5k cross country best of 17:08. She was one of, if not, the best cross country runners this past fall in the state of Texas. She went undefeated only not winning two national meets where she placed 11th and 15th. Although she may be more of a 800/1500/1600 runner on the track, she has the talent to extend her range to a 6k mark that could be beneficial to our team's success! With her speed, if she can adapt smoothly to the 6k training, she can absolutely make her way into the lineup and make an impact year 1! I am so excited to see her in the maroon and white!
We also added 2 athletes from the storied program of Flower Mound High School. If you follow the sport, you know how dominate this program is. With recent athletes at many power 4 programs and distance powerhouses. The duo of Alexandra Fox and Ava Cole will both take their talents and accolades to Texas A&M. Fox competed at the state meet for Flower Mound all 4 years placing 20th, 3rd, 5th, and 5th. She has a 5k best of 17:22 and even a mile PR of 4:45. Her teammate Ava Cole was part of 3 of those state championships teams where she placed 6th at a senior and has a 5k best of 17:40. This duo will certainly push to be a factor in our lineup. They are winners and that work ethic and championship pedigree will pay dividends in their time in Aggieland! Now we need to keep recruiting Flower Mound lol!
Key Returners
Our team will have two veteran leaders that return lots of experience and great leadership qualities. As the 6th year seniors are slowly being pushed out of the NCAA, 4th year runners are the new oldies that will lead teams. No we don't have 30 year old Kenyans or Mormans, but we have two great Aggies and senior runners in Kennady Fontenot and Emma Little. Both were integral parts to our 2023 national team and both had their best seasons on the track in 2025. From what you can see on social media and at meets, the younger girls gravitate towards these two and this team is lucky to have these two women to look up too!
They both qualified to the NCAA National Prelims in the steeplechase with Fontenot advancing to the national finals in Eugene, Oregon. They both also PR'd in the 1500, 3000, and 5000 outdoors along with the steeple. Fontenot has been in our top 5 for the past 3 years She's a monster out on the cross country course and placed 14th at regionals as a sophomore. When she's at her best she can be one of the top ten runners in the entire region this year. Little's emergence into the top 5 was one of the main reasons our team jumped into the top 2 at regionals in 2023. We'll be in great hands with these two seniors leading the way every day.
I talked on this earlier, but the breakthrough of Megan Roberts could be expected to be seen this fall as well. She began to run extremely well last xc season, but it wasn't until track season where she'd show that she is a force to be reckoned with. She placed 45th at conference in the sec last cross season. However, she'd break into the top ten in the 10k outdoors and 3k indoors in the conference. If this translates into the grass she could really help this team and I fully expect her too! From what I've heard she seems like such a great person and has all the qualities you want in a person and athlete.
Roberts will technically go into her sophomore season, as will Maddie Peters. Peters redshirted outdoors so I hope she's healthy. She really showed her strength as a runner during cross season. She lead all the Aggies at the Arturo Barrios Invitational and was in the top 5 every meet. The talent is there for Peters and if she's healthy, I expect her to take her game to the next level. She should once again push to be in our top 5.
San Juanita Leal if healthy will be one of our best runners. She showed her strength and backed up her lengthy high school resume as she won the Cowboy Preview in her first ever collegiate cross country race. She'd then go on to place 3rd out of 155 runners at the Texas A&M Invitational behind two seniors. She is a competitive racer and she will undoubtedly boost this team's success. Hopefully her foot is healed and she can get back to doing what she does best, running fast and winning.
Two other sophomores are Staucie Lees and Penelope Gracey who had solid track seasons and they will be two to watch to make a big jump this season. Avery Perkins had a great spring on the track and she is a name to watch as well.
2025 Team Outlook
What makes cross country one of my favorite sports is the team aspect of it all. Most people think of this sport and track as individual sports, more so cross country. However, the team part of collegiate cross country makes this sport beautiful! 7-10 girls running for each other, pushing one another, all for the team! Even though only the top 5 places are counted, every runner is important. So we're only as strong as the number 5 runner.
Last year we were missing the big time runner who could place in the top ten at conference and/or regionals. This year we'll have Debora Cherono. We saw what she was capable this past track season. Her strength at the end of races gives me hope that she will be unstoppable in the fall. She only picked up the steeplechase this past season and kept improving her time as the competition rose. She has the strength to compete in cross country and has even competed in 10k cross country races back in Kenya. I'm excited to see what she will do in a 6k. Having her as the anchor of the lineup and always having that single digit place will be astronomical towards our team.
Behind her it will be a fun race for number 2. Fontenot showed much more strength this track season with many PR's. She also has the upper hand in experience. Leal, if healthy, will certainly have a say in the conversation as she was leading the way before her injury. Having seen her run since she was a freshman in high school, I know she's a gamer and will go toe to toe with anyone lined across from her. However, we can't forget about Megan Roberts who showed she can compete with not only the conference, but the nation this past track season. If that strength carries over these next few months, then everyone better watch out.
Having these 4 ladies will be a strong baseline to have and will certainly have us be a factor at conference and at regionals. However, we'll also have some other pieces that can bolster this lineup. Losing Shewaye will hurt, but Maddie Peters will be a year older and stronger and you can almost always see 2nd year athletes take a big jump, especially here under McRaven. Emma Little can most certainly be a factor in the lineup as well. A mainstay in the top 7 and top 5 the past two years, she looked her best this spring.
We also can't count out our freshman. Each of the past few years freshman have made their way into our top 5. Maddie Livingston looked strong as a freshman, as did Fontenot in 2022, Johnson in 2023, and Leal and Peters in 2024. You read the accolades, Sophia Bendet is one of the most accomplished and strong racers out of the high school ranks. She will most definitely push her way into the lineup. She is a known winner and I can't wait to see what she does this season in the maroon and white. For freshman it's much easier for women to contribute as they go from running 5k's in high school to 6k's in college, whereas the men go from a 5k to a 8k/10k. Alexandra Fox can certainly push some of these older girls as well and that's the beauty of recruiting well.
Complacency won't kick in and you'll have a competitive team pushing one another every single day. Thankfully we have some great coaching and great leaders to balance all of this and get the best out of the girls. Team chemistry is of the utmost importance and our girls seem to have plenty of it. We'll have plenty of amazing girls out on the course running together and for one another.
The goal isn't anything to sugarcoat or hide from. I'm sure the main goal is getting back to nationals. 2024 didn't end the way we wanted it too and I'm sure the girls have that bitter taste in their mouth still lingering and are eager to get rid of it. It's hard when your sport may only be defined by one 20 minute race. But, I believe in these girls. They are exceptional runners and by all accounts exceptional people. There's no better group of people to represent Texas A&M than these girls and I'm thankful I get to cheer them on and root for them. It's been an honor covering them on this site and I look forward to doing so once again.
This season can be special, we're all aware of what the goal is. I have no doubt in my mind that we can attain that goal and I know in a few months we'll be one of the two teams jumping up and down with dead tired legs as 5 Aggies sprint across the finish line. God willing health be on our side throughout this season. The revenge tour begins now...
