|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The University of New Mexico women’s cross country team was selected as the favorite to win the 2017 Mountain West women’s cross country title, as voted by the league’s coaches in the women’s preseason coaches’ poll.
The Lobo men were tied for fourth place in the men’s poll, which the MW released in conjunction with the women’s poll on Thursday.
It’s the seventh straight year that the Lobo women were picked as the preseason favorite, mirroring the team’s seven-straight top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships.
The New Mexico women, who debuted at No. 4 in Tuesday’s preseason USTFCCCA National Coaches’ Poll, have also won nine straight MW cross country titles, while the men have won six of the last eight men’s championships.
The New Mexico women captured the top spot in the preseason poll by earning 100 points and 10 of the 11 first-place votes. The women return All-American Alice Wright and key pieces in Natasha Bernal, Alex Buck and Kendall Kelly while adding a number of talented newcomers.
The Boise State women scored the other first-place vote and 89 total points to place second, while Air Force registered 81 total points to place third. Colorado State (71 points), Utah State (61), Nevada (56), Wyoming (53), San José State (33), Fresno State (25), San Diego State (20) and UNLV (16) claimed fourth place through 11th, respectively.
In the men’s poll, the Lobos tallied 28 points to tie Utah State for fourth place. The men bring back Jacob Simonsen, Alexander Palm, Jared Garcia and Josh Kerr, and add a number of new runners into the mix.
Colorado State earned the top spot in the poll with five first-place votes and 46 points, with Boise State in a close second place in the poll with the other three first-place votes and 45 points. Air Force was tabbed third with 36 points.
Wyoming (20 points), San José State (12) and Fresno State (9) rounded out the eight-team poll, placing sixth-to-eighth, respectively.
Both Lobo squads will aim for the conference title at the 2017 MW Cross Country Championships at home as they host the meet at the UNM North Golf Course on Friday, October 27.
But before the Lobos can vie for conference supremacy, they will kick off the 2017 season hosting the Lobo Cross Country Invitational this Saturday at the UNM North Golf Course.
Fans can follow @UNMLoboXCTF on Twitter and Instagram to keep track of the Lobos!