ROCK HILL, S.C. – After claiming third-place at the 2015 South Atlantic Conference Championships, the Anderson men's cross country squad has been tabbed to finish third in the conference this season in a vote by the league's coaches, as released by the league office Wednesday morning.
With a talented and experienced roster featuring six returning letterwinners and three newcomers, including All-SAC performers Mason Hazel and Ben Boerma from a year ago, second-year head coach Kevin Licht's Trojan squad trailed just defending conference champion Queens and Mars Hill. The Lions, former 18-time defending SAC title holders, were dethroned by the Royals a year ago after Queens finished as runners-up to Mars Hill in both 2013 and 2014.
"We are a lot further along than we were a year ago"," said Licht. "Everyone put the work in they needed to over the summer. I have been really impressed with how strong and how fit they are. They did exactly what they needed to do this summer."
Queens was projected to defend its title after recording 11 first-place bids to finish with 131 points. Member institutions are not allowed to vote for their own teams. Mars Hill placed second in the voting as the Lions notched one top vote and 111 points, while AU rounded out the top three with 98 points.
At No. 4 in the poll was Wingate with 87 points, followed by Lincoln Memorial at No. 5 as it garnered 81 points to round out the top five.
The coaches voted Catawba sixth with 67 points and Coker's 58 points were good for seventh. Lenoir-Rhyne placed eighth in the poll with 50 points.
Brevard tallied 35 points to finish in ninth place. Carson-Newman recorded 32 points for the 10th spot, while Tusculum (27 points) and Newberry (12 points) closed out the poll.
For the fourth consecutive season, the coaches' consensus nearly mirrored the results from the prior SAC Championship, with Lincoln Memorial and Wingate flipping in the fourth and fifth spots, while Lenoir-Rhyne and Brevard swapped spots in eighth and ninth.
Since joining the South Atlantic Conference for the 2010 campaign the Trojans have finished third on three occasions and claimed runner-up status to Mars Hill in 2011 and will be looking to challenge the Royals and Lions this season.
"Mental toughness is one of our strengths," added Licht. "They have set their minds on accomplishing their goals. They are completely bought-in and have the freshmen believing it already. The seniors - and Mason [Hazel] as team captain - are doing a phenomenal job really reinforcing what his vision is and getting the freshmen to buy in."
Standout Mason Hazel, who has captured All-Conference honors in each of his first two years, returns for his third season while Ben Boerma, who earned all-conference accolades last season, is back for his senior campaign. The Trojans closed on a strong note last season, with every runner significantly improving their time at the SAC Championships over the previous year.
"They have experience, but its' unique experience – not so much four-years' experience," noted Licht. "They have the experience of [not being successful], toward the bottom, 15th or 16th in the region, so they know what that feels like, they know the work they didn't put in. Now that they've changed their behavior and work ethic with how they approach practice and how they approach running, they have much higher expectations."
"Our expectations are to run what they're capable of," added Licht. "Because if they do that, they are a very tough team. We should be in the top three in the conference and top five in the region."
Anderson will get the season underway on Friday at the USC Upstate Eye Opener.
2016 SAC Preseason Men's Cross Country Coaches' Poll
School (1st Place Votes) Points
1. Queens (11) 131
2. Mars Hill (1) 111
3. Anderson 98
4. Wingate 87
5. Lincoln Memorial 81
6. Catawba 67
7. Coker 58
8. Lenoir-Rhyne 50
9. Brevard 35
10. Carson-Newman 32
11. Tusculum 27
12. Newberry 12
