The Louisville women's cross country team runs in the ACC Championships last October at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer Park.
Louisville Women Picked Third in ACC Preseason Poll; Men Tabbed 13th
August 30, 2018 | Cross Country
Cardinals earn highest preseason position as an ACC member
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After finishing second in last season's ACC championships, the University of Louisville women's cross country team was picked to finish third in the conference in the preseason coaches' poll. The mark is the highest slot for the program in their five seasons of ACC competition, besting last year's pick of fifth-place.
The high expectations can be attributed to a successful 2017 season, in which the Cardinals finished second at the ACC Championships and took fifth in the NCAA Southeast Regional. The Cards were powered by sophomore Dorcas Wasike, who became the school's first women's All-American when she placed 29th at the NCAA Championships with a time of 20:05.3. Wasike narrowly missed the ACC title, finishing second with a personal-best mark of 19:54.1, while also coming in fourth at the regional championships. In addition to Wasike, five members of the team set personal records in the 6K at the ACC Championships.
Two-time defending champion NC State was selected as the preseason favorite for the third consecutive season, with Notre Dame coming in second. Virginia Tech and Syracuse were slotted behind Louisville to close the top five. NC State (No. 6), Syracuse (No. 22) and Notre Dame (No. 23) are all ranked in the USTFCCCA preseason polls released on Tuesday.
On the men's side, the Cardinals were picked to place 13th, after finishing 15th in last season's conference championships. The Cardinals bring back eight runners from last year's squad, led by senior Daniel Fleace and sophomore Albert Kosgei. Fleace turned in Louisville's top times at the ACC Championships and NCAA Regionals, as well as posting a first-place finish at the John McNichols Invitational at Indiana State. Kosgei was terrific in the early portion of the season, earning a win at the Tennessee Dual and two other top-10 finishes. The Iten, Kenya native tallied the Cards' top 8K time of the season, 24:08.5, in a fifth-place finish at the Adidas Pre-National Invitational.
Five-time defending champion Syracuse was voted as the favorite by the coaches, with Virginia, NC State, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech closing out the top five. The Orange come in at No. 10 in the USTFCCCA rankings, with Virginia placing 17th and NC State ranking 21st respectively.
Louisville will be one of 13 ACC programs opening their season this weekend as they head to Tennessee for a dual meet with the Volunteers on Friday evening at 6 p.m. The ACC Cross Country Champions are slated for Friday, Oct. 26 at Franklin Park in Boston. NCAA Regional Championships will be held on Nov. 9, followed by the NCAA Championships on Saturday, Nov. 17 at the Thomas Zimmer Championships Course in Verona, Wisc.
The entire 2018 ACC cross country coaches' preseason rankings are listed below:
MEN
1. Syracuse
2. Virginia
3. NC State
4. Notre Dame
5. Virginia Tech
6. Florida State
7. Wake Forest
8. Duke
9. Georgia Tech
10. North Carolina
11. Pitt
12. Clemson
13. Louisville
14. Boston College
15. Miami
WOMEN
1. NC State
2. Notre Dame
3. Louisville
4. Virginia Tech
5. Syracuse
6. Wake Forest
7. Duke
8. Florida State
9. Virginia
10. North Carolina
11. Pitt
12. Georgia Tech
13. Boston College
14. Clemson
15. Miami
The high expectations can be attributed to a successful 2017 season, in which the Cardinals finished second at the ACC Championships and took fifth in the NCAA Southeast Regional. The Cards were powered by sophomore Dorcas Wasike, who became the school's first women's All-American when she placed 29th at the NCAA Championships with a time of 20:05.3. Wasike narrowly missed the ACC title, finishing second with a personal-best mark of 19:54.1, while also coming in fourth at the regional championships. In addition to Wasike, five members of the team set personal records in the 6K at the ACC Championships.
Two-time defending champion NC State was selected as the preseason favorite for the third consecutive season, with Notre Dame coming in second. Virginia Tech and Syracuse were slotted behind Louisville to close the top five. NC State (No. 6), Syracuse (No. 22) and Notre Dame (No. 23) are all ranked in the USTFCCCA preseason polls released on Tuesday.
On the men's side, the Cardinals were picked to place 13th, after finishing 15th in last season's conference championships. The Cardinals bring back eight runners from last year's squad, led by senior Daniel Fleace and sophomore Albert Kosgei. Fleace turned in Louisville's top times at the ACC Championships and NCAA Regionals, as well as posting a first-place finish at the John McNichols Invitational at Indiana State. Kosgei was terrific in the early portion of the season, earning a win at the Tennessee Dual and two other top-10 finishes. The Iten, Kenya native tallied the Cards' top 8K time of the season, 24:08.5, in a fifth-place finish at the Adidas Pre-National Invitational.
Five-time defending champion Syracuse was voted as the favorite by the coaches, with Virginia, NC State, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech closing out the top five. The Orange come in at No. 10 in the USTFCCCA rankings, with Virginia placing 17th and NC State ranking 21st respectively.
Louisville will be one of 13 ACC programs opening their season this weekend as they head to Tennessee for a dual meet with the Volunteers on Friday evening at 6 p.m. The ACC Cross Country Champions are slated for Friday, Oct. 26 at Franklin Park in Boston. NCAA Regional Championships will be held on Nov. 9, followed by the NCAA Championships on Saturday, Nov. 17 at the Thomas Zimmer Championships Course in Verona, Wisc.
The entire 2018 ACC cross country coaches' preseason rankings are listed below:
MEN
1. Syracuse
2. Virginia
3. NC State
4. Notre Dame
5. Virginia Tech
6. Florida State
7. Wake Forest
8. Duke
9. Georgia Tech
10. North Carolina
11. Pitt
12. Clemson
13. Louisville
14. Boston College
15. Miami
WOMEN
1. NC State
2. Notre Dame
3. Louisville
4. Virginia Tech
5. Syracuse
6. Wake Forest
7. Duke
8. Florida State
9. Virginia
10. North Carolina
11. Pitt
12. Georgia Tech
13. Boston College
14. Clemson
15. Miami
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
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