CMS Men's Cross Country Earns Top-10 Ranking in Preseason Poll

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The CMS men's cross country team earned the No. 10 spot in the nation in the preseason NCAA Division III poll released today by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches association.

The Stags have finished in the top 10 in each of their last two seasons, ending in sixth place in 2019, and then after a one-year break due to the pandemic, they returned to their sixth-place spot again in 2021. 

This year, though, CMS has to replace five of the seven runners who attended nationals a year ago as it tries to maintain its status among the nation's elite. Leading the way will be senior Henry Pick, who finished third at the NCAA Division III Cross Country championships a year ago, matching the second-highest finish for an individual in program history.

Pick was also the SCIAC Champion and earned the league's Athlete of the Year Award as he became one of the top distance runners in the nation, following up his cross country success with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships in the spring, earning All-America honors for a second time. 

Miles Christensen is also back for his fourth season of competition, and is a three-time representative for CMS at nationals. He also was the SCIAC champion in the 5000 meters during track and field season as a first-year in 2019. 

The Stags had 256 points in the poll, finishing five points behind Wisconsin-Whitewater in ninth. Pomona-Pitzer was picked to finish first after winning the 2021 title, and is followed by MIT, John Carroll, Williams, Wartburg, Wisconsin-La Crosse, SUNY-Geneseo and WashU in the 2-8 spots. 

CMS will open its season on Sept. 3 at the Redlands Invitational.