The App State men’s and women’s cross country team is set to open its season with the Covered Bridge Open on Friday at the Don Kennedy Trails at State Farm in Boone, N.C. The women’s 5K is slated to start at 5 p.m. with the men’s 8K to follow at 5:45 p.m.
Friday’s field of competition will include Florida State, Louisville, Mercer, UNC Asheville, Western Carolina, Lenoir Rhyne, High Point, Lees-McRae, Tennessee Tech, Milligan, Southern Indiana, and West Florida.
Last Season
The Mountaineer men took first at the Firetower Project Run (Sept. 17) and the women notched a first-place at the High Point Vertcross meet (Oct. 15) last season. To cap regular season competition, both squads placed first at Wildcat Classic (Oct. 22).
At the Sun Belt Championships, Izzy Evely led the Mountaineer women to a second-place team finish and took second individually to earn First-Team All-Sun Belt accolades. The men’s squad also finished second, with Oliver Wilson-Cook and Ryan Brown leading the charge and Second-Team All-Conference honors after finishing seventh and 10th, respectively.
At the NCAA Southeast Regional, the men placed 14th with 413 points, led by Brown, who placed 76th individually. The women placed 18th with 471 points. Evely once again led the charge, placing 38th overall individually.
Preseason Rankings
The Sun Belt announced its 2022 Cross Country Preseason Poll on Wednesday, highly favoring both App State teams. The men’s team was projected to take the conference crown, earning 76 votes, including five first-place votes. The Mountaineer women were picked to place second, earning 152 votes and two first-place votes.
The App State men are also ranked 15th in the NCAA Southeast Region.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will host the Firetower Project Run on Sept. 16.
Courtesy of App State Sports News. Photos by Ashley Poore.
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