SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Elon women’s cross country team and the Furman and UNCG men’s teams have been chosen as the Southern Conference preseason favorites in 2013.
Elon received five first-place votes and 93 total points to earn the top spot in the women’s preseason rankings for the second straight season. The Phoenix finished second at the 2012 SoCon Championship and return five of the top 30 finishers from last year’s championship race.
Furman was picked to finish second, receiving 86 points and four first-place votes. Samford, which placed the top two individual runners at the 2012 SoCon championship, took third place with 79 points, and defending SoCon champion Appalachian State was fourth in the rankings with 76 points.
UNCG secured the final two first-place votes and received 61 points, placing it fifth in the preseason poll.
On the men’s side, Furman and UNCG each received 73 points from the SoCon coaches, putting them in a tie for the top spot in the preseason poll. The Spartans hauled in six first-place votes, while the Paladins received two.
Chattanooga received the final two first-place votes and 65 points overall, placing it in the third spot in the rankings. Defending SoCon champion Appalachian State is fourth with 64 points, and Davidson rounds out the top five with 48 points.
The season kicks off Aug. 30, with eight SoCon teams in action. The 2013 SoCon Championship will be held in Birmingham, Ala., on Nov. 2.
2013 Cross Country Preseason Polls
Men
Team (first-place votes) Points
T1. Furman (2) 73
T1. UNCG (6) 73
3. Chattanooga (2) 65
4. Appalachian State 64
5. Davidson 48
6. Samford 42
7. Western Carolina 31
8. Elon 25
9. The Citadel 19
10. Wofford 10
Women
Team (first-place votes) Points
1. Elon (5) 93
2. Furman (4) 86
3. Samford 79
4. Appalachian State 76
5. UNCG (2) 61
6. Davidson 58
7. Western Carolina 48
8. Chattanooga 40
9. Wofford 28
10. Georgia Southern 20
11. The Citadel 16