CMS Men's Cross Country Picked Second in SCIAC Preseason Poll

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's cross country team was chosen second in the preseason SCIAC poll of the league's coaches, the conference office announced today.

The Stags earned 73 points in the poll, including two first-place votes. Defending champion Pomona-Pitzer was picked to repeat with 79 points in the poll, including seven first-place votes. CMS and Pomona-Pitzer finished with the exact same number of points in the NCAA West Regional last season, one week after the Sagehens earned the conference title. 

Occidental was in third place in the preseason poll with 64 points, followed by Redlands with 52 and Caltech with 44 in the fourth and fifth spots. 

CMS is in good position to challenge for the league crown this season, returning six of their seven runners who competed in the SCIAC Championships last year, four of whom were first-years (Miles Christensen, Kryil Van Schendel, Alexander Hirsch, Thomas Fleming). The Stags also have senior Thomas D'Anieri back, who finished in the top 100 in the NCAA Championships as a sophomore before studying abroad last fall. 

CMS gets its season started next weekend, when it competes in the Biola Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 8 a.m.

2019 SCIAC Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll
1. Pomona-Pitzer - 79 points (7 first place votes)
2. CMS - 73 points (2 first place votes)
3. Occidental - 64 points
4. Redlands - 52 points
5. Caltech - 44 points
6. La Verne - 37 points
7. Whittier - 25 points
8. Cal Lutheran - 17 points
9. Chapman - 14 points