Lions ranked Third in Pre-Regional Rankings

MARS HILL, N.C.-- The Mars Hill men's cross country team is ranking third in the Southeast Region by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Week Six Pre-Regional Poll, which was released Tuesday.

The Lions won their 16th-consecutive South Atlantic Conference Championship in Greeneville, Tenn. this past weekend. MHC had five runners finish in the top ten at the event. The Lions have now been ranked third in the region by the USTFCCCA for four consecutive weeks. This is the final USTFCCCA Poll to be released prior to the regional championships.

Mount Olive held onto the top spot in the Southeast Region rankings. Columbus State jumped ahead of the Lions to second in the poll after previously being ranked fifth. King, which had been ranked second, fell to fourth in this week's poll.

Mars Hill will compete in the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Championship in Charlotte, N.C. on Nov. 3. The top three teams in the regional will receive automatic-qualifying bids to the NCAA Division II National Championship, which will be held Nov. 17 in Joplin, Mo. The Lions finished fourth in last year's Regional Championship.

Click Here for USTFCCCA Regional Rankings

USTFCCCA Rankings are determined subjectively by a single-member coach in each respective region. The regional representative is tasked with weighing returning team strength with current-season results in determining predicted finish at the NCAA Regional Championships.