Wednesday, August 18, 2010

MACON, Ga. – One year after breaking through with its first Atlantic Sun Women’s Cross Country Championship, Jacksonville earned the nod of the league’s head coaches as the favorite to win the title again this year, the conference office announced on Wednesday.

Jacksonville ended Belmont’s three-year reign atop the conference last year in DeLand, Fla., to cap a six-year ascent up the conference standings. The Dolphins received nine of the 11 first-place votes and return four All-Atlantic Sun performers from a season ago in Anastasia Fokina, Joane Pierre, Susanne Klungtveit and Kelli Midden.

The Dolphins “River City” rival, UNF, took second place in the preseason poll. The Ospreys return last season’s Freshman of the Year, Shelby Kittrell. She took fourth at last year’s A-Sun Championships and paced three Ospreys on the All-Freshmen team. Meggie Emons and Melanie Novack joined Kittrell on the five-runner squad.

USC Upstate and Kennesaw State shared the third position in the poll. Both return a First-Team All-Atlantic Sun performer in Mackenzie Howe for the Owls and Jemeli Sang for the Spartans. All five scoring runners for USC Upstate in 2009 return in 2010 and will attempt to capture its first league title on its home venue as the Spartans will host the league meet in late October.

Lipscomb, who returns all five runners who competed at the league meet, took fifth in the poll and grabbed the two first-place votes not allocated to Jacksonville, followed by Belmont. Last season’s fifth-place finish represent the Bruins’ first year outside the top two since joining the conference in 2001. FGCU claimed seventh followed by Campbell and Mercer tying for eighth. ETSU and Stetson fill out the poll.

USC Upstate Milliken Research Park serves as the site for this year’s A-Sun Championships. The course hosted the 1995 NCAA Division II National Championships and NCAA South Region Championships in 2004 and 2005.

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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.

Follow the Atlantic Sun on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

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.