Northern Arizona's Teams Tabbed Champion in Preseason Poll
by Anne Morrison
OGDEN, Utah (August 16) - Northern Arizona has been selected first in both the men’s and women’s 2010 Big Sky Conference cross country preseason polls.
The Northern Arizona women received six first-place votes and 75 points. The Lumberjacks return an impressive lineup of runners, including two all-conference selections Haley Lawrence and Kortnee Burton. Burton took second at last year’s championship, coming in behind graduated teammate and All-American Veronica Pohl. Lawrence placed sixth. Northern Arizona is expected to continue its dominance of the Big Sky. The Lumberjacks have won three-straight championships, and nine of the last 11.
Weber State has been selected second with 71 points, while Montana received 70 points. Sacramento State was voted fourth and Idaho State fifth.
The men’s program at Northern Arizona tallied eight first-place votes and 80 points. The Lumberjacks have won 13 of the last 16 Big Sky Championships, and will be looking to win their fourth in a row in 2010. Northern Arizona three-time All-America selection David McNeill will return to defend his Big Sky conference title. McNeill earned his third All-America selection after finishing second at the 2009 NCAA Championship with a time of 29 minutes and 7 seconds.
The only other programs to win a Big Sky Championship in last 15 years finished second and fourth in the poll. The 2002 champion, Montana State, tallied 73 points to come in second, while Montana came in third with 51 points. Weber State, 1997 & 2006 champions, received 57 points to take the No. 4 position.
The Lumberjacks will enter the 2010 season with first-year Director of Track & Field Eric Heins.
The 2010 Big Sky Conference Cross Country Championship will be run on Saturday, Oct. 30 in Cheney, Wash.
Voting is calculated by each team receiving nine points for a first place vote, eight points for a second place vote, etc. Coaches are allowed to vote for their respective teams. Below are the final results with the number of first place votes in parenthesis.
Men's Results
Team (No. 1 votes)
|
Points |
| Northern Arizona (8) |
80 |
| Montana State (1) |
73 |
| Weber State |
57 |
| Montana |
51 |
| Eastern Washington |
50 |
| Sacramento State |
32 |
| Idaho State |
29 |
| Portland State |
20 |
| Northern Colorado |
13 |
Women's Results
Team (No. 1 votes)
|
Points |
| Northern Arizona (6) |
75 |
| Weber State (1) |
71 |
| Montana (2) |
70 |
| Sacramento State |
53 |
| Idaho State |
44 |
| Montana State |
36 |
| Portland State |
22 |
| Eastern Washington |
19 |
| Northern Colorado |
15 |