FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Christopher Newport men’s and women’s cross country teams are both the unanimous choice of the USA South coaches to keep their strings of conference titles intact in 2009. Both teams are also ranked among the top ten in the NCAA South/Souteast Region pre-season poll.
The veteran women’s team, which has six of its top eight runners returning, including two-time NCAA championship participant Amy Wampler, received all nine possible first place votes. Shenandoah is a solid second with Meredith third. CNU has won the USA South title for 11 straight years.
The men were also the pick of the coaches with all five first place votes. Shenandoah was also a solid second with Greensboro third. The CNU men have won 14 consecutive conference titles.
In the South/Southeast Region, the CNU women are fourth, trailing only Emory, Rhodes and Trinity (Texas), while the men are in tenth place in the region.
CNU opens its season with a dual meet on Sept. 1 at Virginia Wesleyan.
The USA South polls:
Women Men
1. CNU (9) 81 1. CNU (5) 25
2. Shenandoah (1) 73 2. Shenandoah (1) 21
3. Meredith 59 3. Greensboro 13
4. Mary Baldwin 57 4. Methodist 12
5. Greensboro 40 5. Ferrum 11
6. Methodist 32 6. Averett 8
7. Averett 30
8. Peace 29
9. N.C. Wesleyan 25
10. Ferrum 24