Men's Cross Country Team Earns Top-30 Ranking
October 19, 2010 | Men's Cross Country
Oct. 19, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville men's cross country team has earned its first top-30 ranking of the season, checking in at 28th in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's (USTFCCCA) poll, the New Orleans-based organization announced today. The Cardinals received votes in the first two polls of the year.
Louisville is one of five BIG EAST programs - Syracuse (17th), Georgetown (21st), Notre Dame (23rd) and Villanova (29) - with a men's squad ranked in the Top 30. Only the Atlantic Coast Conference has as many programs ranked in the Top 30, with the Big 12 supplying four nationally ranked programs.
In their last race, the men registered a 10th-place finish at the prestigious Indiana State Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind. In the 35-team field, the Cardinal men placed ahead of five teams - Michigan State (then-20th), UCLA (then-26th), Ohio State (RV), Montana State (then-RV) and UTEP (then-RV) - that were either ranked in the Top 30 or receiving votes in USTFCCCAs national poll prior to the race.
"The men's finish at the Pre-Nationals, championed by Matt Hughes and Michael Eaton's performance, is indicative of our first national ranking for the 2010 season," head cross country coach Brice Allen says. "I'm proud of their efforts at Pre-Nationals and look forward to the rest of the season as we move toward the national championships."
Hughes led the team with a 12th-place finish, navigating the 8,000-meter course in 23:58.5. The Oshawa, Ontario, native's mark is 80 spots and more than a minute better than his 2009 result. Eaton was not far behind, finishing the race with a time of 24:14.8 for 31st place. The Cardinals also received an impressive performance from true freshman Tyler Byrne, who took 70th out of 231 runners.
The Cardinal men and women are idle this weekend, with their next race coming at the BIG EAST Championships, which are set to take place on Oct. 30, at Jamesville Beach Park in Syracuse, N.Y.
For all of the latest information on Louisville cross country and track and field, log on to www.uoflsports.com, or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team's Twitter account at www.twitter.com/louisvilletrack.
USTFCCCA Men's Cross Country Poll
| Rank | Institution | Points | Region | Conference | Last |
| 1 | Stanford (6) | 354 | West | Pac-10 | 1 |
| 2 | Oklahoma State (6) | 353 | Midwest | Big 12 | 2 |
| 3 | Oregon | 337 | West | Pac-10 | 3 |
| 4 | Iona | 311 | Northeast | Metro Atlantic | 18 |
| 5 | Oklahoma | 292 | Midwest | Big 12 | 16 |
| 6 | Wisconsin | 282 | Great Lakes | Big Ten | 11 |
| 7 | Indiana | 276 | Great Lakes | Big Ten | 7 |
| 8 | Florida State | 264 | South | ACC | 15 |
| 9 | Colorado | 248 | Mountain | Big 12 | 4 |
| 10 | Arkansas | 245 | South Central | SEC | 6 |
| 11 | Northern Arizona | 241 | Mountain | Big Sky | 5 |
| 12 | New Mexico | 234 | Mountain | Mountain West | 10 |
| 13 | BYU | 233 | Mountain | Mountain West | 19 |
| 14 | Duke | 230 | Southeast | ACC | 9 |
| 15 | Portland | 213 | West | West Coast | 8 |
| 16 | NC State | 176 | Southeast | ACC | 13 |
| 17 | Syracuse | 171 | Northeast | BIG EAST | 14 |
| 18 | Princeton | 166 | Mid-Atlantic | Ivy | 12 |
| 19 | Virginia | 142 | Southeast | ACC | 17 |
| 20 | William and Mary | 138 | Southeast | Colonial | 27 |
| 21 | Georgetown | 106 | Mid-Atlantic | BIG EAST | 22 |
| 22 | California | 96 | West | Pac-10 | RV |
| 23 | Notre Dame | 76 | Great Lakes | BIG EAST | 28 |
| 24 | Penn State | 73 | Mid-Atlantic | Big Ten | 23 |
| 25 | North Carolina | 68 | Southeast | ACC | RV |
| 26 | Florida | 60 | South | SEC | 30 |
| 27 | Alabama | 49 | South | SEC | 24 |
| 28 | Louisville | 35 | Southeast | BIG EAST | NR |
| 29 | Villanova | 33 | Mid-Atlantic | BIG EAST | RV |
| 30 | Texas | 24 | South Central | Big 12 | 29 |
| Others Receiving Votes: UCLA 19, Columbia 8, Michigan State 5, Dartmouth 4, Tulsa 2, Ohio State 1. | |||||
Players Mentioned
