Men's Cross Country Picked Fourth; Women Eighth, in NEC Preseason Polls

The Mount St. Mary's men's cross country team was picked to finish fourth in the annual preseason coaches poll, announced by the Northeast Conference.  The women's team was slated to finish eighth.

For the women's poll, Quinnipiac garnered 10 first-place votes, followed by Sacred Heart, which received one first-place nod, and Monmouth. Central Connecticut was fourth, Saint Francis (PA) fifth and Robert Morris sixth. Bryant, Mount St. Mary's and Wagner were tabbed seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively, while St. Francis (NY) and Fairleigh Dickinson rounded out the 11-team field.

The Mount men's team returns three of its top five runners from last year's NEC Championships.  Chris Swisko was 25th overall at the NEC's last year while Kevin Pitts (28th) and Tommy Gruschow (45th) are the Mount's other top returnees.

The women's team returns all five of its top runners from last season, led by Megan Kinsella.  The others include McKenzie Doyle, Desi Scott, Kathryn Franke and Collen Smith.

Mount St. Mary's opens the 2012 season at the Lehigh Invitational on August 31st.

2012 Northeast Conference Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll

1. Quinnipiac (10)
2. Sacred Heart (1)
3. Monmouth
4. Central Connecticut
5. Saint Francis (PA)
6. Robert Morris
7. Bryant
8. Mount St. Mary's
9. Wagner
10. St. Francis (NY)
11. Fairleigh Dickinson