August 31st, 2010
Villanova, Portland Top Catholic XC Rankings
Preseason poll reveals top 60 men's and women's teams
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA if you're counting at home), released its preseason college cross country rankings Tuesday for men and women's teams, and Catholic squads had their fingerprints all over the respective lists.
Villanova, the defending national XC champions, received 360 points and was the unanimous selection as the overall No. 1 women's team in the country. Led by seniors Katherine LoCosa, Theresa Rush, Nicole Schappert, and Kaityn Tallman, the Wildcats are poised to repeat in 2010. Following Villanova in the top 30 are fellow Big East conference foes No. 11 Georgetown University (223 points), No. 14 Providence College (202 points), and No. 17 University of Notre Dame (155 points).
On the men's side, five teams cracked the top 30, including the highest-ranked Catholic team, No. 8 University of Portland. The Pilots collected 258 total points, and were followed by No. 10 Iona University (201 points), No. 15 Villanova (168 points), No. 16 Georgetown (165 points), No. 20 Providence (129 points).
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