Spartans Picked Sixth, Seventh in A-Sun Preseason Cross Country Polls
8/27/2014 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Macon, Ga. – The USC Upstate men's cross country team has been picked to finish sixth, while the women are projected seventh, in the annual Atlantic Sun Preseason Cross Country Coaches Polls released this afternoon by the conference office.
The Spartan men received a total of 25 points in the poll after finishing in the same spot at last season's A-Sun Championships in Nashville, Tenn. On the women's side, Upstate earned 20 points for a seventh place recognition as it also finished in the same position at the conference championships.
The Spartans return seven runners from last year, but must replace seven including two-time Second Team All-Conference performer Ross Oden. Upstate welcomes in six newcomers consisting of four freshmen and two transfers. Sophomore Theodore Kountourogiannis is the leading returning runner for the Spartans as he picked up one top-10 finish last season and had the second-best individual performance for Upstate at the A-Sun Championships.
Defending conference champion Lipscomb has been voted to win the conference in 2014 after garnering seven first-place votes and 63 points. Northern Kentucky earned one first-place vote and is predicted to finish second with 50 points, followed by North Florida in third with 47 points. Kennesaw State is fourth with 43 points and Florida Gulf Coast is predicted fifth with 36 points. Stetson (14) and Jacksonville (10) are behind the Spartans in the poll in seventh and eighth places, respectively.
The Upstate women also bring back seven runners from last season highlighted by Second Team All-Conference performer Jasmine Polite. The senior finished 12th at the conference meet last season and added one top-5 performance to her credit at the Eye Opener Invitational. While the Spartans return seven athletes, it must replace six including two seniors. Upstate has three newcomers made up of two freshmen and one sophomore.
Lipscomb, the defending champion, picked up all eight first-place votes to take the top spot in the women's preseason poll. North Florida is right behind Lipscomb in second with 56 points and Kennesaw State is third with 38 points. Jacksonville (37), Florida Gulf Coast (32), Northern Kentucky (31) are in front of the Spartans with Stetson coming in eighth with 10 points.
Northern Kentucky's J.J. Webber and Sally Larson of Lipscomb were voted as the Preseason Men's and Women's Runners of the Year.
The 2014 A-Sun Cross Country Championships will be held on Nov. 1 and will be hosted by Stetston in DeBary, Fla.
Upstate opens its 2014 season Friday evening when it participates in the Covered Bridge Open in Boone, N.C. The meet is being hosted by Appalachian State.
Follow Upstate cross country on your mobile device, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
