NAU Men's Cross Country Tops National Coaches' Poll For 22nd Consecutive Week

NEW ORLEANS, La. (August 27, 2019) - The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released its 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Cross Country Preseason National Coaches' Poll on Tuesday morning. For the 22nd consecutive week Northern Arizona's squad was listed at the top of the list after being selected no.1 overall to enter the 2019 season.

The selection was backed behind three consecutive NCAA team titles and a modern-era record 21 consecutive weeks atop the National Coaches' Poll. NAU, which has topped each iteration of the index since Week 3 of 2016, earned 10 of 11 possible first-place votes. Stanford received the only other vote.

In 2019 the 'Jacks could join the University of Arkansas (1990-1993) and UTEP (1978-1981) as the only programs to have won four consecutive NCAA men's team titles. NAU enters 2019 with three All-Americans on their roster from 2018 (Luis Grijalva, Blaise Ferro and Geordie Beamish) and will add a host of talented athletes who redshirted in 2018.

For the 12th consecutive week BYU was selected as the no.2 overall team. Washington is ranked third to begin the season, which is the best ranking it has received in the National Coaches' Poll dating back to 1995. Colorado and Iowa State rounded out the top five taking the no.4 and no.5 spots.

The only other Big Sky Conference team to break into the men's top-30 was Southern Utah. The Thunderbirds will begin the season ranked no.25. 

On the women's side of things the Lumberjacks received 12 votes in the Women's Preseason National Coaches' Poll. NAU sits right outside the top-30 to start the season with no other Big Sky Conference school having received any votes.

The next NCAA DI Men's and Women's Cross Country National Coaches' Polls will be released on September 17. Northern Arizona will lace it up at one meet between now and that date. The 'Jacks will race in front of their Flagstaff home crowd on September 7 at the George Kyte Classic, which is being held at Buffalo Park. 

USTFCCCA MEN'S PRESEASON NATIONAL COACHES' POLL

1. NAU 
2. BYU 
3. WASHINGTON
4. COLORADO
5. IOWA STATE
6. PORTLAND
7. OKLAHOMA STATE
8. WISCONSIN 
9. NOTRE DAME
10. STANFORD
11. OREGON
12. SYRACUSE
13. NC STATE
14. OLE MISS
15. INDIANA
16. WYOMING
17. COLORADO STATE
18. MICHIGAN
19. IONA 
20. ARKANSAS
21. PRINCETON
22. UCLA
23. VIRGINIA
24. PURDUE
25. SOUTHERN UTAH
26. ALABAMA
27. AIR FORCE
28. VILLANOVA
29. TULSA
30. BOISE STATE