Men’s Cross Country Ranked 11th in Southeast

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NEW ORLEANS, La. – The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association ranked the Davidson men's cross country team 11th in the 2010 Preseason Southeast Region rankings, the association office announced Monday.

The USTFCCCA regional rankings are a reflection of a team's strengths entering the year based on returning and new runners on each squad as selected by a representative in each region.

"We're honored and excited to be ranked 11th in our Region—our first ever preseason ranking," said head coach Gary Andrew. "Our goal is to break into the Top 10 by the end of the season. The guys know that there are many miles, workouts and races to complete for this to happen."

NC State ranked first and was followed by three other ACC schools. Davidson immediately follows Kentucky, whom Davidson edged by one place in the 2009 NCAA regional. Southern Conference rival Appalachian State ranked 12th, while Charlotte, of the Atlantic 10, ranked 13th.

NCAA Southeast Regional Championships will take place on Nov. 13 in Louisville, Ky. The top two teams in each region earn automatic berths to the national NCAA Championships and will be joined by 13 at-large squads – a format that has been in place since 1998. The NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships will be held on Monday, Nov. 22 in Terre Haute, Ind.

The Wildcats are coming off their best regional finish in program history after placing 12th last year. The Wildcats lose first-team All-SoCon selection Lance Harden to graduation, but senior Charlie Schmitt and junior Ryan Hopkins will look to fill the void.

Davidson will open the season Friday, Sept. 3 when Appalachian State hosts the Covered Bridge Open.