The Berea College Cross Country teams look to start their seasons strong as both the men's and women's teams begin the season ranked #1 in the Conference USA South Preseason polls.
The Men's Cross-Country team took home the USA South Athletic Conference championship last season as Berea finished with the top 4 fastest times in the conference in their debut season in the USA South Athletic Conference. Logan McKenzie was also named All-American last year and finished 27th overall in the nation in the NCAA DIII National Championship Meet. The Women's team also grabbed first place last year in the conference meet and look to claim that title again this season. Shawn Jakubowski will return as women's coach and will also take over for Mike Johnson as the men's head coach.
The Berea Men's team sits at the top of the USA South Athletic Conference Preseason Poll as they received 11 of the 12 first place votes. Covenant College places second with one first place vote and is followed by Piedmont College who rounds out the top 3. On the Women's side, the Mountaineers garnered 12 of the 17 possible first place votes giving them the #1 ranking in the preseason poll. The Mountaineers are followed by Covenant College, who received 5 first place votes, and Piedmont College.
The Berea College Men's and Women's teams open up their season at the Berea/Centre College Cross-Country Jamboree on Friday, August 31. The event will be hosted at Berea College at Alumni Fields and will begin at 6:00pm. Make sure you come out and support the Mountaineers as they get their season underway and look to defend their conference titles.
2018 USA South Men's Cross Country Coaches Preseason Poll
Rank Institution (1st Place Votes) Pts.
1. Berea^ (11) 121
2. Covenant (1) 106
3. Piedmont 100
4. Methodist 88
5. Maryville 72
6. Pfeiffer 58
7. Brevard 53
8. N.C. Wesleyan 49
9. William Peace 39
10. Huntingdon 38
t-11. Averett 34
t-11. LaGrange 34
^Defending Champion
2018 USA South Women's Cross Country Coaches Preseason Poll
Rank Institution (1st Place Votes) Pts.
1. Berea^ (12) 252
2. Covenant (5) 239
3. Piedmont 223
4. Methodist 197
5. Meredith 179
6. Maryville 168
7. Pfeiffer 147
t-8. Agnes Scott 142
t-8. Mary Baldwin 142
10. Salem 106
11. Brevard 105
12. N.C. Wesleyan 94
13. Averett 86
14. LaGrange 70
15. Wesleyan 58
16. Huntingdon 57
17. William Peace 47
^Defending Champion