NEW ORLEANS – On the heels of impressive outings at last weekend's Furman Cross Country Classic, the Anderson University women's cross country team is ranked third in the initial regular-season U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) DII Preseason Regional Rankings, while the men's squad is fifth, as released Tuesday afternoon.
Despite posting a stellar outing last weekend, the women's squad slipped one spot from their preseason No. 2 regional ranking, and remain as one of four South Atlantic Conference teams in the USTFCCCA poll, along with top-ranked Queens, Wingate (fifth), and Lenoir-Rhyne at No. 10.
Mount Olive moved from the third spot into No. 2, with AU just behind. The next three slots remained unchanged, as North Georgia followed the Trojans, with Wingate in fifth and Augusta occupying the sixth slot.
Georgia College moved up two spots from ninth to seventh, with Flagler at No. 8. UNC Pembroke and Lenoir-Rhyne rounded out the women's rankings.
The men's poll saw Mount Olive and Queens remain at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, while Augusta was one of five Peach Belt schools in the poll, at No. 3.
UNC Pembroke climbed from sixth to fourth, while AU vaulted from ninth to fifth as one of four SAC schools in the rankings. Columbus State is sixth, with Georgia College making an appearance at No. 7.
Flagler dropped three slots and is eighth, while Lincoln Memorial and Lenoir-Rhyne are ninth and 10th, respectively.
Anderson is scheduled to get back on the course, Saturday, Sept. 30 at the USC Upstate Invitational.
