ATLANTA – After claiming its ninth ASUN Conference Women's Cross Country Championship last season, Lipscomb is once again projected to stand above the rest after the ASUN's head coaches tabbed the Bisons unanimously atop the Preseason Coaches Poll, announced Friday by the league office.
Lipscomb's Lydia Miller, who placed second last year at the 2022 ASUN Championship to pace the Bisons, earned the distinction of Preseason Runner of the Year heading into the new campaign.
After landing four runners in the top 10 last year and eight student-athletes on All-ASUN squads, the Bisons grabbed all 12 first-place votes and 144 total points to finish ahead of Kennesaw State (123 tallies) in the preseason rankings. EKU was just behind the Owls in third with 121 points, while North Florida (110) and Queens (96) rounded out the top five.
2023 ASUN Conference Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll
| Pl. |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
Lipscomb (12) |
144 |
| 2. |
Kennesaw State |
123 |
| 3. |
EKU |
121 |
| 4. |
North Florida |
110 |
| 5. |
Queens |
96 |
| 6. |
Bellarmine |
77 |
| 7. |
Central Arkansas |
61 |
| 8. |
Stetson |
58 |
| 9. |
Jacksonville |
54 |
| 10. |
North Alabama |
40 |
| 11. |
FGCU |
38 |
| 12. |
Austin Peay |
14 |
For the 12th consecutive year, the ASUN took to social media to poll the fans for the ASUN Preseason Runner of the Year. Central Arkansas' Sara Steimel was the fans' choice for Preseason Runner of the Year with 273 votes.