Wednesday, September 16, 2009

MACON, Ga. - For the first time in the history of the Atlantic Sun Cross Country polls, Belmont does not find itself atop either poll as ETSU remained first on the men’s side and the Jacksonville women moved into the top position.

Despite only receiving a pair of first-place votes, Jacksonville claimed the top spot in the coaches’ poll. The Dolphins opened 2009 by winning the JU Short Course Duals for the second year in a row led by a 1-2-3 finish by Elsabeth Goshu, Amaila Vogler and Kelli Midden. Belmont began the season with a sixth-place finish at the Belmont Opener. Both schools made the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association South Region preseason poll with Jacksonville placing 11th and Belmont 14th.

Kennesaw State, off a win at the JSU Struts Season Opener and a third-place showing at Friday’s UTC PowerAde Invitational remained third followed by USC Upstate. The Spartans picked up a pair of first-place votes after two team victories, winning at the Wofford Relays and at the Eye Opener Invitational.

Jacksonville, UNF (fifth), FGCU (eighth) and Stetson (11th) face off at the Gator Invitational on Friday. Belmont and Kennesaw State square off for the first time at Saturday’s Crimson Classic, joined by Campbell (seventh) and ETSU (tied-eighth). USC Upstate looks to continue its winning ways at Friday’s Virginia Tech Invitational.

On the men’s side, ETSU held onto its narrow lead on Belmont. The 2008 A-Sun champions took fifth at its opening meet, the Covered Bridge Open. The Buccaneers lead three A-Sun schools ranked in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association South Region preseason poll, placing seventh.

Belmont, 11th in the USTFCCCA poll, took second at the Belmont Opener. Lipscomb moved up to fifth in the poll, trailing Kennesaw State and UNF, after a third-place finish at the Belmont Opener. The Bisons took 15th in the USTFCCCA poll. Belmont, ETSU and Kennesaw State (third in the men’s poll) race against each other for the first time on Saturday at the Crimson Classic. The Bisons stay in town in Nashville, Tenn., to race at the Vanderbilt Invitational.

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.