Preseason Accolades Continue To Roll In For Cross Country
August 31, 2016 | Cross Country
STARKVILLE, Miss. – With the season a few short days away, the honors continue to roll in for the Mississippi State cross country team.
The Bulldogs find themselves ranked 18th in the USTFCCCA preseason poll after ending the record-breaking 2015 season ranked 17th. MSU is the second-highest SEC team in the poll, behind only No. 11 Arkansas.
"It is nice to get that respect," MSU coach Houston Franks said. "We have never been preseason ranked in this poll. It is an honor and gives you a nice feeling that the program is heading in the right direction. But, it is just a poll and doesn't mean anything until we race. It is a good starting place. We finished 17th last season, so we need to finish higher than we are placed. In about a month we will know a little bit more of where we are really stacking up."
The selection comes a few days after the Bulldogs were predicted to finish third in the Southeastern Conference by the league's coaches and also voted the best team in the South Region by the USTFCCCA. This is the first time in program history MSU has been ranked in the preseason by the publication.
The Bulldogs begin their 2016 slate this Saturday at the Memphis Twilight. Senior All-American Rhianwedd Price won the event two years ago. In total, MSU returns 9 athletes from the 2015 squad that made it to the NCAA Championships for the first time in program history.
For more information on the MSU cross country team, follow the program on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching @HailStateTF. You can also find all access coverage on SnapChat by searching 'HailStateSnap'.
The Bulldogs find themselves ranked 18th in the USTFCCCA preseason poll after ending the record-breaking 2015 season ranked 17th. MSU is the second-highest SEC team in the poll, behind only No. 11 Arkansas.
"It is nice to get that respect," MSU coach Houston Franks said. "We have never been preseason ranked in this poll. It is an honor and gives you a nice feeling that the program is heading in the right direction. But, it is just a poll and doesn't mean anything until we race. It is a good starting place. We finished 17th last season, so we need to finish higher than we are placed. In about a month we will know a little bit more of where we are really stacking up."
The selection comes a few days after the Bulldogs were predicted to finish third in the Southeastern Conference by the league's coaches and also voted the best team in the South Region by the USTFCCCA. This is the first time in program history MSU has been ranked in the preseason by the publication.
The Bulldogs begin their 2016 slate this Saturday at the Memphis Twilight. Senior All-American Rhianwedd Price won the event two years ago. In total, MSU returns 9 athletes from the 2015 squad that made it to the NCAA Championships for the first time in program history.
For more information on the MSU cross country team, follow the program on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching @HailStateTF. You can also find all access coverage on SnapChat by searching 'HailStateSnap'.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
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