Southern Oregon Picked to Win Seventh-Straight CCC Men’s Cross Country Title
LA GRANDE Ore. – Having won the last six conference titles, the coaches of the Cascade Conference predict Southern Oregon will make it seven-straight in 2014 as the Raiders top the preseason men’s cross country coaches poll , as announced by the conference on Thursday morning.
Senior Eric Ghelfi leads the Raiders in 2014, after a solid junior campaign that saw him take fifth at the conference championship as SOU earned their sixth-straight title. The Raiders will be running without 2013 CCC and NAIA Individual Champion Eric Avila but that shouldn’t slow them down too much as they open the 2014 season on Sep. 13 at the Humboldt State Invitational in Arcata, Calif.
Eastern Oregon, the last conference school not in Ashland to win the conference title, has been selected second with 69 points. EOU will be led in 2014 by Hans Roelle, the 11th place finished at the conference championship in 2013. The Mounties will hit the course for the first time on Sep. 6 when they head to Walla Walla, Wash. for a dual with Whitman.
Concordia is third in the conferencewith 56 points as the Cavs will look to seniors Matthew Clowes and Ben Foubert to lead the squad in 2014. CU will host the conference championship, providing their runners with a bit of a home course advantage.
College of Idaho earned a fourth place prediction with 51 points. Oregon Tech was just three points back in fifth with 48 points while Northwest Christian was just three points back of that, in sixth with 45 points.
The Warriors of Corban University took seventh with 26 points, followed by Northwest in eighth (16 points) and Warner Pacific in ninth (13 points).
The 2014 Cascade Conference Cross Country Championship is set for Nov. 8 at Fernhill Park in Portland, Ore. The 2014 NAIA National Championships will be contested on Nov. 22 at Rim Rock Farms in Lawrence, Kan.
2014 CCC Preseason Coaches’ Poll
|
1. |
Southern Oregon (9) |
81 |
|
2. |
Eastern Oregon |
69 |
|
3. |
Concordia |
56 |
|
4. |
College of Idaho |
51 |
|
5. |
Oregon Tech |
48 |
|
6. |
Northwest Christian |
45 |
|
7. |
Corban |
26 |
|
8. |
Northwest |
16 |
|
9. |
Warner Pacific |
13 |
First place votes in parentheses