Bobcats Picked Fourth in Preseason Cross Country Poll
8/21/2013 3:48:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country, Cross Country
The bar is set for 2013 cross country season
The Big Sky Conference released the 2013 Preseason Coaches Poll on Tuesday and the Bobcats are near the front of the pack. Both the men and women were picked fourth out of 11 conference programs as they gear up for the 2013 season.
Northern Arizona led the voting with 121 total points and a unanimous 11 first-place nods for the men's race followed by Southern Utah (100) and Weber State (99) in third. The Bobcats tallied 97 total votes, pushing them close to the top three places.
The men returns a slew of veterans including Michael Asay who was an All-Big Sky Conference finisher at the 2012 Championship when he came in 10th place overall. Other notable men returning include Jacob Kirk, Cristian Soratos and Trevor Polson.
"This is about where I thought we'd be for the men," said head coach Dale Kennedy, as he embarks on his 32nd season with the Bobcats. "Despite being in fourth place, the points show us in the thick of things to really try to make a push to a finish higher than where we're starting."
The women's fourth place position this preseason is their highest poll spot in recent seasons as they look to rebuild from a youthful 2012. Weber State is picked to the women's title with 118 points and nine first-placed votes. The NAU women were second with 108 and Southern Utah was in third with 97. Both NAU and SUU each earned one first-place nod. Montana State's fourth place came with 84 votes.
Heather Demorest comes back for her final season of competition and will look to best her 16th place Big Sky finish in 2012. She will still be joined by a younger core of Bobcats but the sophomore class returns with one season of competition under their belts.
"We take this as a real compliment to finish fourth," said Kennedy. "We will certainly push ourselves to strive for fourth and I think with a little more experience this year that is a feasible goal."
Montana State Cross Country opens the season on Saturday, Sept. 21 when they host the Bozeman Running Company Invitational at Bridger Creek Golf Course. MSU will also host the Big Sky Championship in November.
Complete Big Sky Release
