ROCK HILL, S.C.- The 2023 South Atlantic Conference Men's and Women's Cross Country Preseason Polls were released this morning, ranking the Eagles fifth and sixth in the conference prior to the beginning of the season.
Carson-Newman men's and women's cross country ranked fifth and sixth respectively in the SAC Preseason Polls. The men ranked fifth in the preseason polls with 98 points. Landing in the top-half of the conference, the Eagles were only bested by Wingate (144), Catawba (130), Anderson (125), and Lenoir-Rhyne (110). Colton Lee and Brent Borden were named 2023 SAC Men's Cross Country Runners to Watch.
The women's team grabbed the No. 6 spot with 90 points in the polls. Wingate ranked first with 144 points while Catawba (128), Anderson (127), Lenoir-Rhyne (110), and Lincoln Memorial (99) followed. The Eagles had three Women's Cross Country Runners to Watch in the poll including Grace Lathrop, Katie Smock, and Imke Van Gog.
"The preseason rankings are fair and reasonable. Overall, they were expected since they are moreso a reflection of last season's results," interim head cross country coach Whit Lee said.
The rankings correspond directly with the Eagles' finishes at the 2022 SAC Championships in Salisbury, N.C. The men ended the regular season last year in fifth place after scoring 142 points at the championships. Colton Lee was the top runner during the men's 8k race with a time of 26:58.6, landing him in 24th place. He earned Freshman All-Conference at the meet. A fifth-place finish marked the best performance for the men's team since 2009.
The women finished sixth at the conference meet with 166 points. Smock was the top finisher for the Eagles. Smock finished the 6k in 19th place with a time of 23:42.1. Van Gog crossed the line 13 seconds later and finished 21st with a time of 23:55.7. Both women earned Third Team All-Conference honors for their performance.
"Our rankings this season are fair, but we obviously have loftier goals. Our focus is going to be the performance on a week to week basis," Lee said.
The Eagles will kick off the 2023 season at the SAC Preview on Saturday, Sep. 9. Stay up to date on cneagles.com.
