9 CCC XC Teams Earn Top 25 NAIA Rankings

8/24/2011 6:13:05 AM

NAIA Men’s Preseason Top 25 Poll

NAIA Women’s Preseason Top 25 Poll

PORTLAND, Ore. – Defending national champion Southern Oregon is rated No. 1 in the NAIA men’s preseason Top 25 and the SOU women are rated fourth in the women’s NAIA preseason poll to highlight a contingent of nine nationally-ranked cross country teams from the Cascade Collegiate Conference.

Southern Oregon was a unanimous top choice in both the men’s and women’s preseason CCC coaches’ polls.

Other nationally ranked CCC men’s programs are No. 9 Concordia, No. 11 College of Idaho, and No. 18 Eastern Oregon. CCC women’s programs joining SOU in the women’s Top 25 include No. 5 College of Idaho, No. 8 Concordia, No. 17 Northwest Christian, and No. 19 Eastern Oregon.

In the CCC preseason polls, voted on by the conference head coaches, Southern Oregon led the way by sweeping all nine first-place votes in both genders. The Raider men enter the 2011 campaign having won three consecutive CCC crowns; the SOU women, who finished second to CCC champion Concordia last year, are seeking their first-ever conference title.

College of Idaho was picked to finish second in both the men’s and women’s preseason polls. Eastern Oregon was picked third in the men’s poll and fourth in the women’s poll. Concordia was third in the women’s poll and fourth in the men’s poll.

The CCC Championships are scheduled for Nov. 5 in Ashland and will be hosted by Southern Oregon. The conference team champions will earn automatic berths to the NAIA Cross Country National Championships, will be held Saturday, Nov. 19 at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, Wash. The national meet is co-hosted by the CCC and Concordia University.