Villanova’s women are defending national champs
August 31, 2010
NEW ORLEANS – The men of Stanford and women of Villanova will begin the 2010 cross country campaign as the nation’s No. 1 teams as assigned by the release of today’s U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Cross Country Coaches’ Poll.
The Cardinal men received less number one votes (4) than No. 2 and defending national champions Oklahoma State (7) and are coming off a 2009 season that had them finish tenth at the NCAA Championships. No. 3 Northern Arizona grabbed the other first place vote and is in a tie with Oregon for the third-place spot on the poll.
Stanford returns now-junior Chris Derrick who placed third in last year’s national championships behind returning Samuel Chelanga of Liberty and David McNeill of Northern Arizona. Oklahoma State returns national top-10 finisher Colby Lowe for his junior season. Along with McNeill, Northern Arizona returns national top-five finisher Jordan Chipangama for his senior season. Oregon returns top-30 finishers from a year ago Luke Puskedra and Matthew Centrowitz.
Stanford will open the season this Friday at Nevada’s Jim Vanden Heuvel Twilight and will stay idle until hosting the Stanford Invitational on September 25. The Cowboys of Oklahoma State start the season on Saturday at the Tulsa Duels and will host the Cowboy Jamboree on September 25. Northern Arizona hosts the George Kyte Invitational in Flagstaff on Saturday and then will travel to San Diego State’s Aztec Invitational on September 18 before facing No. 1 Stanford at their invitational on September 25. Oregon opens the campaign on Friday at Oregon State’s John Frank Memorial Invitational. The Ducks will then sit on the pond until October 1 when they compete at the Notre Dame Invitational.
The Big 12 Conference leads the nation’s leagues with five teams in the national top 30, including No. 2 Oklahoma State, No. 6 Colorado, No. 12 Oklahoma, No. 18 Iowa State, and No. 28 Texas. The Big East, Big Ten, and ACC fall next in line with four.
National defending women’s champions Villanova swept the board in the preseason poll, receiving all 12 first-place votes to open the season. No. 2 Florida State, No. 3 Washington, and No. 4 Texas Tech follow the Wildcats, matching their finishes from last fall’s NCAA Championships.
The Wildcats are scheduled to return four that placed in the nation’s top 25 at last year’s championships, including Amanda Marino (sixth), Sheila Reid (13th), Bogdana Mimic (22nd), and Ali Smith (24th). Florida State graduated Susan Kuijken, but returns Pasca Cheruiyot who was 16th in last year’s national race and Amanda Winslow was in the nation’s top 40 as a freshman. Washington, national team champs in 2008, had then-sophomore Kendra Schaaf place second in last year’s national race and returners Marie Lawrence and Christine Babcock followed with national top 35 finishes.
Villanova opens the season on September 18 at the Delaware Invitational, followed by the Main Line Invitational at Haverford on Thursday, September 23. Florida State opens this weekend at Appalachian State’s Covered Bridge Open before taking place in the Across the State Relays charity event on September 11, benefiting the United Way. Washington will open with a dual versus Washington State this Friday in Husky coach Greg Metcalf’s hometown of Ephrata, Wash. The Huskies will continue the season on September 18 with the Sundodger Invitational in Seattle.
The Big Ten and Big East each have six of their members in the national top 30. The Pac-10 sits close behind with five representatives, followed by Conference USA, the ACC, and the Big 12 with three apiece.
The next national poll will be announced on September 13. The NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships will be held on Monday, November 22 in Terre Haute, Ind.
USTFCCCA
NCAA Division I
Men's Cross Country National Coaches' Poll
2010 Preseason, August 31
next ranking: September 14
Rank
Institution
Points
Region
Conference
Location
2009 NCAA
1
Stanford (4)
349
West
Pac-10
Palo Alto, Calif.
10
2
Oklahoma State (7)
339
Midwest
Big 12
Stillwater, Okla.
1
3
Northern Arizona (1)
329
Mountain
Big Sky
Flagstaff, Ariz.
4
Oregon
329
West
Pac-10
Eugene, Ore.
2
5
Alabama
299
South
SEC
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
3
6
Colorado
296
Mountain
Big 12
Boulder, Colo.
6
7
Wisconsin
292
Great Lakes
Big Ten
Madison, Wis.
7
8
Portland
258
West
West Coast
Portland, Ore.
13
9
Syracuse
255
Northeast
BIG EAST
Syracuse, N.Y.
14
10
Iona
241
Northeast
Metro Atlantic
New Rochelle, N.Y.
8
11
NC State
211
Southeast
ACC
Raleigh, N.C.
27
12
Oklahoma
202
Midwest
Big 12
Norman, Okla.
12
13
Arkansas
181
South Central
SEC
Fayetteville, Ark.
26
14
New Mexico
180
Mountain
Mountain West
Albuquerque, N.M.
8
15
Villanova
168
Mid-Atlantic
BIG EAST
Villanova, Pa.
11
16
Georgetown
165
Mid-Atlantic
BIG EAST
Washington, D.C.
22
17
BYU
146
Mountain
Mountain West
Provo, Utah
17
18
Iowa State
144
Midwest
Big 12
Ames, Iowa
16
19
Arizona State
137
West
Pac-10
Tempe, Ariz.
19
20
Providence
129
Northeast
BIG EAST
Providence, R.I.
20
21
Michigan State
125
Great Lakes
Big Ten
East Lansing, Mich.
31
22
Virginia
122
Southeast
ACC
Charlottesville, Va.
15
23
Duke
108
Southeast
ACC
Durham, N.C.
28
24
Florida State
98
South
ACC
Tallahassee, Fla.
30
25
Butler
80
Great Lakes
Horizon
Indianapolis, Ind.
DNQ
26
Minnesota
75
Midwest
Big Ten
Minneapolis, Minn.
24
27
Indiana
64
Great Lakes
Big Ten
Bloomington, Ind.
DNQ
28
William and Mary
60
Southeast
Colonial
Williamsburg, Va.
5
Texas
60
South Central
Big 12
Austin, Texas
28
30
Cal Poly
34
West
Big West
San Luis Obispo, Calif.
DNQ
Others Receiving Votes: Princeton 32, Ohio State 24, Florida 10, Louisville 9, North Carolina 8, UCLA 8, California 7, Columbia 4, UTEP 2, Washington 1.
USTFCCCA
NCAA Division I
Women's Cross Country National Coaches' Poll
2010 Preseason, August 31
next ranking: September 14
Rank
Institution
Points
Region
Conference
Location
2009 NCAA
1
Villanova (12)
360
Mid-Atlantic
BIG EAST
Villanova, Pa.
1
2
Florida State
339
South
ACC
Tallahassee, Fla.
2
3
Washington
337
West
Pac-10
Seattle, Wash.
3
4
Texas Tech
303
Mountain
Big 12
Lubbock, Texas
4
5
Oregon
298
West
Pac-10
Eugene, Ore.
9
6
Duke
295
Southeast
ACC
Durham, N.C.
8
7
Princeton
290
Mid-Atlantic
Ivy
Princeton, N.J.
5
8
Florida
278
South
SEC
Gainesville, Fla.
7
9
Syracuse
240
Northeast
BIG EAST
Syracuse, N.Y.
18
10
Virginia
227
Southeast
ACC
Charlottesville, Va.
15
11
Georgetown
223
Mid-Atlantic
BIG EAST
Washington, D.C.
21
12
Stanford
217
West
Pac-10
Palo Alto, Calif.
16
13
Colorado
210
Mountain
Big 12
Boulder, Colo.
20
14
Providence
202
Northeast
BIG EAST
Providence, R.I.
11
15
West Virginia
195
Mid-Atlantic
BIG EAST
Morgantown, W. Va.
6
16
Iowa State
173
Midwest
Big 12
Ames, Iowa
17
17
Notre Dame
155
Great Lakes
BIG EAST
South Bend, Ind.
23
18
New Mexico
152
Mountain
Mountain West
Albuquerque, N.M.
13
19
UTEP
150
Mountain
Conference USA
El Paso, Texas
22
20
BYU
130
Mountain
Mountain West
Provo, Utah
19
21
Minnesota
120
Midwest
Big Ten
Minneapolis, Minn.
10
22
SMU
117
South Central
Conference USA
University Park, Texas
25
23
Michigan State
103
Great Lakes
Big Ten
East Lansing, Mich.
26
24
Penn State
89
Mid-Atlantic
Big Ten
State College, Pa.
14
25
Arizona
88
West
Pac-10
Tucson, Ariz.
30
26
Wisconsin
67
Great Lakes
Big Ten
Madison, Wis.
DNQ
27
Michigan
50
Great Lakes
Big Ten
Ann Arbor, Mich.
27
28
Rice
41
South Central
Conference USA
Houston, Texas
DNQ
29
Iowa
26
Midwest
Big Ten
Iowa City, Iowa
DNQ
30
Arizona State
24
West
Pac-10
Tempe, Ariz.
24
Others Receiving Votes: North Carolina 22, Stony Brook 15, Nebraska 9, Arkansas 8, Indiana 8, Ohio State 6, Vanderbilt 4, California 3, Wichita State 3, Baylor 2, Oklahoma State 1.
---
Tom Lewis
U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association
Communications Manager
1100 Poydras St., Suite 1750
New Orleans, LA 70163
(O) 504-599-8904 (F) 504-599-8909
Email: tom@ustfccca.org
Follow Us: twitter.com/USTFCCCA
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