Lions Ranked 10th in Region by USTFCCCA
NEW ORLEANS, LA.—Mars Hill women’s cross country team is ranked 10th in the Southeast Region by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Preseason Poll, which was released Tuesday.
NEW ORLEANS, LA.—Mars Hill women's cross country team is ranked 10th in the Southeast Region by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Preseason Poll, which was released Tuesday.
Last season, the Lions finished 14th in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Championship and placed fourth at the South Atlantic Conference Championship. MHU returns All-Region performer Faith Trammell and three other runners who placed in the top 25 at the SAC Championship. Mars Hill will open their season Sep. 6 at the Eye Opener in Spartanburg, S.C. Race time is set for 6:30 p.m.
Trammell placed second in the SAC Championship meet and narrowly missed the national cut at Regionals, placing 17th overall. The junior earned SAC Runner of the Week honors twice last season.
Savannah Hulbert returns after being named to the SAC All-Freshman Team last year. She placed 21st overall in the SAC Championship. Jessica Viscusi (15th) and Heidi Hooker (22nd) also placed in the top 25 in the conference championship last season.
Mars Hill is ranked third among SAC schools in the Southeast Region poll. Defending-SAC Champion Lenoir-Rhyne is ranked fourth and Wingate is ranked sixth.
Click Here for USTFCCCA 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 in the NCAA Regional Championships.
The top three teams in the Southeast Regional Championship receive automatic-qualifying bids to the NCAA Championships. This year's Championship race will be held in Spokane, Wash.