Oregon, Colorado lead Pac-12 teams in preseason cross country polls

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- The OREGON women and COLORADO men lead five women’s and four men’s squads in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Preseason Coaches poll, which was released earlier this week. Both teams are ranked third in their respective polls. The five ranked women’s teams also ties for the most by any conference in the country.

Four of the five ranked women’s teams are in the top eight in the polling. After the Ducks, WASHINGTON is ranked No. 5, ARIZONA is No. 7 and STANFORD is No. 8. The Buffs rank No. 14 in the polling.

The Ducks are coming off a historic season, winning their first Pac-12 women’s cross country title since 1995, en route to claiming their first NCAA title since 1987. Oregon returns two scorers from last year’s championship squad, but have a significant loss in Jordan Hasay, who placed in the top three in each of her last three seasons at the NCAA Championships.

On the men’s side, the two-time Pac-12 Champion Buffs return four of its scorers that helped the team to a second-straight third-place finish at the NCAA meet. Also representing the Pac-12 in the preseason poll is Oregon, who is ranked No. 12, followed by No. 13 UCLA and No. 16 STANFORD. Also receiving votes in the men’s poll are WASHINGTON and ARIZONA STATE.

The 2013 cross country season begins this Friday, Aug. 30. The regular season culminates with the Pac-12 Championships, which will be hosted by Colorado on Saturday, November 2.

For the full preseason coaches poll, visit the USTFCCCA website at www.ustfccca.org.