Men's Cross Country 10th in 2009 Preseason Coaches' Poll
9/15/2009 12:00:00 AM
Sept. 15, 2009
USTFCCCA Preseason Coaches' Poll 
NEW ORLEANS, La. - The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Men's Cross Country Top 30 Preseason Coaches' Poll was announced Tuesday and the University of Alabama men are ranked 10th.
"Starting this year in 10th is a respectable ranking for us as we lost two of our top five from last year's team to graduation," cross country coach Joe Walker said. "We feel that we have the talent to be a top10 team again and know that it is a challenge that lies ahead of us and we look forward to seeing how the season plays out."
Oregon, last year's NCAA Division I Men's Cross Country National Champions, begins the 2009 season as the No. 1 team in the nation. The Ducks received nine first-place votes and earned 357 total points in the preseason poll.
Oregon will have plenty of ground to make up if they are to repeat as the men's champions in 2009 as they lose two USTFCCCA All-Americans in Galen Rupp (last year's NCAA Individual Champion) and Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott. The Ducks do return sophomore Luke Puskedra who finished fifth overall as a freshman. Alabama will face off against Oregon when they travel across the country to compete at the Bill Dellinger Invite hosted by the Ducks on Oct. 2.
Alabama returns three of its top five runners from last year's squad including USTFCCCA All-American Tyson David, Emmanuel Bor and Andrew Kirwa. In 2008, the men turned in a 10th place finish after finishing sixth in 2007 to have back-to-back top 10 national finishes for the first time in school history.
The Crimson Tide is one of three Southeastern Conference schools ranked in the top 30. Auburn and Arkansas are ranked 13th and 18th, respectively.
"This is truly an outstanding honor," head track and field coach Harvey Glance said. "It's great to know that our peers see us as a top 10 program. There are 301 Division I programs and this ranking speaks volumes for what we're trying to do on a year in, year out basis. It goes to show what kind of talent level we have at the university and this is what we expect so I'm glad we're able to live up to that each year."
Division I Cross Country Officers, At-Large Representatives, and Regional Representatives submit their rankings of the top 30 teams in the country to the Division I Cross Country men's poll coordinator. Only 30 teams are ranked, and there are no ties or half votes. Voters are not obligated to follow the order of region rankings in compiling their national ranking.
The 2009 Division I Cross Country NCAA Championships will be hosted by Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind. on Nov. 23.
