Arkansas to Open Season Ranked in Top-15
NEW ORLEANS — In the USTFCCCA Preseason National Coaches Poll announced Tuesday afternoon, the Arkansas women’s cross country team ranks 12th in the nation.
Arkansas leads the way among the four Southeastern Conference teams featured in the preseason poll, with Missouri (15), Ole Miss (18), and Mississippi State (23) placing in the top-30.
The Razorbacks return its core group of runners, including five All-Region performers, 2016 All-American Taylor Werner, and 2016 SEC Freshman of the Year Abby Gray.
Arkansas finished first at the 2016 SEC Championships and the 2016 NCAA South Central Region Championship, with a 19th place finish at the NCAA Championships.
2017 USTFCCCA Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Colorado
2. Oregon
3. Michigan
4. New Mexico
5. Stanford
6. NC State
7. Providence
8. Notre Dame
9. BYU
10. San Francisco
11. Penn State
12. Arkansas
13. Washington
14. Wisconsin
15. Missouri
16. Michigan State
17. Eastern Michigan
18. Ole Miss
19. Boise State
20. Villanova
21. Oklahoma State
22. Utah
23. Mississippi State
24. Minnesota
25. Harvard
26. Georgetown
26. Iowa State
28. Louisville
29. Air Force
30. Yale
Arkansas was ranked first in two polls released Monday, the Division I Preseason Regional Rankings (South Central) and the Southeastern Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. In the SEC poll, Arkansas was unanimously projected to finish first at the 2017 SEC Championships by its league coaches.
2017 Division I Preseason Regional Rankings (South Central)
1. Arkansas
2. Abilene Christian
3. Texas
4. Baylor
5. SMU
6. TCU
7. Rice
8. Texas A&M
9. Stephen F. Austin
10. Tulane
11. UTRGV
12. Houston
13. North Texas
14. Lamar
15. Incarnate Ward
2017 SEC Cross Country Coaches Preseason Poll (points)
1. Arkansas (13)
2. Missouri (33)
3. Ole Miss (37)
4. Mississippi State (47)
5. Vanderbilt (67)
6. Alabama (83)
7. Kentucky (85)
8. Florida (96)
9. Georgia (104)
10. Auburn (118)
11. Texas A&M (131)
12. Tennessee (138)
13. South Carolina (161)
14. LSU (161)
The 2017 cross country season begins Friday as the Razorbacks travel to Stillwater, Oklahoma to compete at the Cowboy Duals.
2017 Cross Country Schedule
Fri, Sept. 1 – Cowboy Duals (Stillwater, Okla.)
Sat, Sept. 16 – Riverside Invitational (Riverside, Calif.)
Sat, Sept. 16 – Southern Stampede (Joplin, Mo.)
Sat, Sept. 30 – Chile Pepper Festival (Agri Park)
Sat, Sept. 30 – Notre Dame Invitational (South Bend, Ind.)
Sat, Oct. 14 – Pre-Nationals (Louisville, Ky.)
Fri, Oct. 27 – SEC Championship (Athens, Ga.)
Fri, Nov. 10 – NCAA South Central Regional (College Station, Texas)
Sat, Nov. 18 – NCAA Championship (Louisville, Ky.)
For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.
