AU men's cross-country ranked 11th in the nation ahead of season opener
By Chris Rickerson | Sports editor
Augusta University men’s and women’s cross-country teams begin their road to nationals at the Eye Opener Invitational in Spartanburg, S.C. this Friday, Sept. 3.
The national preseason rankings were just released, and AU’s men cross country is ranked 11th in the nation in the Division II top 30 poll released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association.
Adam Ward, head coach of both cross-country teams, says preseason rankings are not that important to him.
“The preseason rankings are great for the notoriety they bring to our teams and our sport, but beyond that they don’t really matter,” said Ward “We started off 2019 unranked as I recall and finished 9th at the NCAAs. Starting off 11th is great, but that just means we have work to do become that, and we will find out soon enough if we are deserving or if we need temper expectations.”
The Jaguars men’s team is also ranked first in the Peach Belt Conference and second in the NCAA Southeast Region preseason poll.
While the women’s team is unranked in the national poll, they’re ranked third in the conference and fifth in the region.
“I am excited about their rankings, because they deserve the recognition,” said Ward. “Beyond that, it’s the same thing, the races will decide how good we are or where we finish the season. I know we will be a little slow to start, but in our sport that’s okay. It is about how you finish the race more than how you start.”
The Eye Opener Invitational will be a preview of regionals for both teams as they’ll return back in November.
“The first meet of any season can be the best and, often, most difficult part of any season,” said Ward. “We want to go in and learn the course for the eventual regional championships in November, see where our people are with their current fitness and race tactics, then learn from it and move on.”
Contact Chris Rickerson at Crickerson@augusta.edu
Pictured at the top is the AU men’s cross country team running athletes the UAB Blazer Classic Ian 2020. (Photo by David Troyer.)
