NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The CNU Women's Cross Country is ranked 6th in the South/Southeast Region according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) in a preseason poll released yesterday. The Captains finished the 2009 season with a 3rd place ranking.

Dira Hansen won the USA South women's championship in 2009 guiding the women to their 12th straight title. In the 2009 NCAA Regional, CNU's top four finishers all crossed the line within 23 seconds of one another, all in the top 30. Hansen led the Captains with a 15th place finish in 24:36. 

Head Coach Patty Ley has nine athletes returning, including all-conference selection Hansen, and has five freshmen joining the team. The Captains open the 2010 season with the Virginia Wesleyan Dual on September 1 in Virginia Beach, Va.

Regional rankings are a reflection of a team's strengths entering the year based on returning and new runners on each squad and are placed in order by a representative in each region.

Click here for full results.

SOUTH/SOUTHEAST Region
Rank    School  
1           Rhodes
2           Emory
3           Lynchburg 
4           Trinity (Texas)
5           Roanoke
6           Christopher Newport
7           Shenandoah
8           Washington and Lee
9           CUA
10         Centre