Thursday, October 15, 2009

MACON, Ga. – After locking up in a tight battle with ETSU in early-season voting, the Belmont men’s cross country team surged out in front of the reigning Atlantic Sun champions in the latest coaches’ poll, as announced on Thursday.

In each of the three prior polls conducted this season, Belmont and ETSU finished within two points of each other with the Bruins closing the gap in each successive poll. The two last ran two Saturdays ago at the Greater Louisville Cross Country Classic, and at that meet, Belmont placed its five scoring runners ahead of ETSU’s third runner. The Bruins lead four A-Sun schools ranked in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches South Region poll with an 11th-place showing, followed by Kennesaw State, 12th; ETSU, 13th, and Lipscomb, 15th.

The Owls remain in third in the men’s poll with UNF in fourth and the Bisons in fifth. Led by current Runner of the Week Scott Burley, the Owls won a team title at the Walt Disney World Cross Country Classic in Orlando, Fla. No changes took place in the final six positions with Campbell, USC Upstate, Mercer, FGCU, Jacksonville and Stetson filling out the poll.

On the women’s side, Jacksonville pushed what had been a narrow lead on Belmont to a 17-point advantage. The Dolphins, ranked ninth on the USTFCCCA South Region poll, won at their most recent competition, the ForidaRunners.com Invitational. Belmont took 14th at the Greater Louisville Cross Country Classic. Like the men’s poll, Kennesaw State took third followed by UNF. The Ospreys emerged from a tie two weeks ago with USC Upstate to lock down fourth position. Like one week ago, the women’s poll concludes with Campbell, Lipscomb, FGCU, ETSU, Mercer and Stetson.

Seven of the league’s 11 schools run for the final time before the A-Sun Championships this weekend. Four of those teams, ETSU, UNF, Jacksonville and Stetson will get a sneak preview at the championship course by running in the Stetson Invitational. FGCU also heads to DeLand, Fla. for the contest before hosting its own invitational one week later.

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.