Colorado State University Athletics
Mountain West Preseason Poll Puts Both Rams’ Squads in Top Five
8/22/2019 1:14:00 PM | Cross Country
The men’s cross country team projected third, while women polled at fifth
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado State men's and women's cross country teams have been voted to finish third and fifth place, respectively, in the Mountain West Conference according to the preseason coaches' poll, released Thursday by the league office.
The CSU men's team received 47 points in the voting, trailing Wyoming by seven points and projected conference winner Boise State by 14 points. The Rams are coming off a season in which they finished third in the conference, marking their eighth top-three result in a row, and then followed it up with their second-straight ninth-place result in the NCAA Championships.
"We are starting to build a tradition of being one of the best teams in the Mountain West Conference and the NCAA," head coach Art Siemers said on the men. "Even though we graduated some strong runners last year, the culture of the team is as strong as it has ever been as far as the belief in their teammates and the system. They expect to try to be a top-15 NCAA team again this year and win another Mountain West Conference title again."
The Ram women received 63 points for the fifth-place preseason ranking. The New Mexico women's team was tabbed the favorite in the MW, picking up 100 points, while Boise State (90), Air Force (77), and Utah State (67) fill out the top-five in front of Colorado State. After back-to-back seventh place finishes in the MW, the CSU women's team looks to return to form of the previous 18-straight top-five results within the conference.
"It is really exciting, because we have an almost entirely new team," Siemers said about the women. "We return a few contributing varsity members from last season, but also have three transfers that are really talented runners who will help elevate the program, and then we have one of the strongest recruiting classes that we have ever had. We think that we have the talent to make a mark this year, and hopefully make it to the NCAA Championships, which is the expectation for the team and the goal that we all share – to be a nationally ranked team and make it to NCAAs."
The first practice for both Rams' teams start Friday, Aug. 23 in preparation for their season opening competition in the Wyoming Open on Sept. 6.
"Both the men and the women have worked very hard this summer, putting in the work, and they are ready," Siemers added. "It is an exciting time to be a Ram and we are anxious to see where we can elevate our cross country programs."
The 2019 MW Championships are slotted for Nov. 1 in Logan, Utah.
The CSU men's team received 47 points in the voting, trailing Wyoming by seven points and projected conference winner Boise State by 14 points. The Rams are coming off a season in which they finished third in the conference, marking their eighth top-three result in a row, and then followed it up with their second-straight ninth-place result in the NCAA Championships.
"We are starting to build a tradition of being one of the best teams in the Mountain West Conference and the NCAA," head coach Art Siemers said on the men. "Even though we graduated some strong runners last year, the culture of the team is as strong as it has ever been as far as the belief in their teammates and the system. They expect to try to be a top-15 NCAA team again this year and win another Mountain West Conference title again."
The Ram women received 63 points for the fifth-place preseason ranking. The New Mexico women's team was tabbed the favorite in the MW, picking up 100 points, while Boise State (90), Air Force (77), and Utah State (67) fill out the top-five in front of Colorado State. After back-to-back seventh place finishes in the MW, the CSU women's team looks to return to form of the previous 18-straight top-five results within the conference.
"It is really exciting, because we have an almost entirely new team," Siemers said about the women. "We return a few contributing varsity members from last season, but also have three transfers that are really talented runners who will help elevate the program, and then we have one of the strongest recruiting classes that we have ever had. We think that we have the talent to make a mark this year, and hopefully make it to the NCAA Championships, which is the expectation for the team and the goal that we all share – to be a nationally ranked team and make it to NCAAs."
The first practice for both Rams' teams start Friday, Aug. 23 in preparation for their season opening competition in the Wyoming Open on Sept. 6.
"Both the men and the women have worked very hard this summer, putting in the work, and they are ready," Siemers added. "It is an exciting time to be a Ram and we are anxious to see where we can elevate our cross country programs."
The 2019 MW Championships are slotted for Nov. 1 in Logan, Utah.
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