Wednesday, September 30, 2009

MACON, Ga. - Belmont and ETSU share the top spot in the Atlantic Sun men’s cross country poll while Jacksonville sits atop the women’s poll for the second consecutive week.

Jacksonville solidified its position atop the women’s cross country poll in picking up five first-place votes in this week’s poll and pushed its lead to four points on Belmont. At their most recent contests, the Dolphins took fourth out of 23 teams at the Gator Invitational while the Bruins placed ninth at the Crimson Classic. The Bruins and the Dolphins each rested last week but both return to action this weekend as Jacksonville heads to the FloridaRunners.com Invitational in Titusville, Fla. and Belmont travels to the Louisville Classic. Both schools made the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association South Regional rankings with Jacksonville placing 11th and Belmont 15th.

Kennesaw State, off its second team win, remains third followed by a fourth-place tie between UNF and USC Upstate. The Spartans picked one first-place vote after a fourth-place showing at the Virginia Tech Invitational. They made their debut in the USTFCCCA Regional Polls, placing 12th in the Southeast Region.

Jacksonville, FGCU (eighth) and Stetson (11th) head to the FloridaRunners.com Invitational Friday, while Belmont, Lipscomb (seventh), ETSU (ninth), and Mercer (10th) face off in the Louisville Classic on Saturday.

On the men’s side, ETSU and Belmont now sit tied for first in the second regular-season conference coach’s poll. The Bucs hold the edge in first-place votes with five but rank behind the Burins in the USTFCCCA South Regional Poll. Belmont came in 11th in the USTFCCA South Regional Poll while Kennesaw State sits 12th and ETSU comes in 13th. In addition to their regional ranking, the Owls also picked up one first-place vote in the conference coaches’ poll.

FGCU (ninth) and Stetson (11th) travel to Titusville, Fla. for the FloridaRunners.com Invitational on Friday. Also in action Friday, USC Upstate (seventh) runs at the Charlotte Invite and Campbell (sixth) hits the road to the Cary, N.C. for the Great American Cross Country Festival. Rounding out this week’s action ETSU, Belmont, Lipscomb (fifth) and Mercer (eighth) battle in the Greater Louisville Cross Country Classic on Saturday.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.