Wednesday, August 10, 2011

MACON, Ga. – The Kennesaw State men’s cross country team was picked to win their third-straight Atlantic Sun Conference title in the Preseason Coaches Poll, released Wednesday by the league office. The Owls, who placed three student-athletes on the first team all-conference last season, picked up nine first-place votes from the coaches.

Belmont, the host of the 2011 A-Sun Championship, came in second in the preseason tally with the final top vote after finishing second in last year’s championship. North Florida, USC Upstate and ETSU rounded out the top-five of the preseason poll.

The Spartans return the 2010 A-Sun individual champion, Gilbert Kemboi, who helped the team to a third-place finish last season – the best in program history. The Ospreys and Buccaneers claimed fourth and sixth place at last year’s championship, respectively.

Mercer, who is coming off the programs best point total since 2003, took the sixth spot in the poll just ahead of FGCU and Lipscomb, who tied for seventh place. Stetson and Jacksonville completed the remainder of the poll.

The Vaughn’s Gap Cross Country Course serves as host of the 2011 A-Sun Cross Country Championship on October 29th. The course is located within Percy Warner Park just nine miles from downtown Nashville and served as the course for the 2004 and 2007 A-Sun Championships.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an NCAA Division I league with 10 member institutions committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun meets the challenge of maintaining the highest standards in academic and athletic achievement with a true balance between student and athlete. 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, 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.