CMS 1-2 in SCIAC Cross Country Preseason Coaches Polls
PASADENA, Calif. – The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) released its Preseason Coaches Polls and the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's cross country team is predicted to repeat as SCIAC champions, while the CMS men are picked second.
The preseason polls were conducted by the SCIAC cross country coaches, with each coach predicting the finish of the 2016 season. This is the first year the SCIAC has held preseason polls and they are now planned to become a part of the preseason for all 21 conference-sponsored sports moving forward.
Athenas
The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's cross country team took the top position of the SCIAC Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll.
The Athenas are seeking their seventh-consecutive conference championship. The Athenas nearly swept the preseason poll, earning eight of the nine coaches' first-place rankings. In 2015, the Athenas won the SCIAC Championships, finished second at the NCAA Division III West Regionals and placed 13th at the NCAA Championships.
SCIAC Preseason Women's Poll
|
Rank |
Institution |
Total Points |
|
1 |
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps |
10 |
|
2 |
Pomona-Pitzer |
25 |
|
3 |
Occidental College |
29 |
|
4 |
University of Redlands |
32 |
|
5 |
Whittier College |
49 |
|
6 |
California Lutheran University |
57 |
|
7 |
Chapman University |
59 |
|
8 |
University of La Verne |
69 |
|
9 |
California Institute of Technology |
75 |
Stags
The Stags are seeking their fifth-consecutive SCIAC championship. The Stags pulled three first-place votes earning 18 points for a second-place predicted finish. At the conclusion of the 2015 season the United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) named CMS head cross country coach John Goldhammer the West Regional Men's Coach of the Year. The award is Goldhammer's second-straight and his 26th overall counting both his cross country and track and field awards. The Stags not only won both the SCIAC and Regional championships in 2015, but recorded their highest finish in program history when they placed seventh at the NCAA Championships.
SCIAC Preseason Men's Poll
|
Rank |
Institution |
Total Points |
|
1 |
Pomona-Pitzer |
15 |
|
2 |
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps |
18 |
|
3 |
Occidental College |
31 |
|
4 |
Whittier College |
40 |
|
5 |
University of Redlands |
50 |
|
6 |
California Institute of Technology |
55 |
|
7 |
University of La Verne |
62 |
|
8 |
California Lutheran University |
65 |
|
9 |
Chapman University |
69 |
The first meet of the season for both CMS teams is the Nationball Classic Sept. 3 in Santa Barbara. SCIAC competition gets underway on Oct. 1 in La Mirada with the SCIAC Multi-Dual Meet.
By Chris Watts
Director of Athletics Communication
Claremont McKenna College
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