ATLANTA – After claiming its 10th Atlantic Sun Conference Women's Cross Country Championship last season, Lipscomb is once again projected to stand above the rest after the ASUN's head coaches voted the Bisons atop the preseason poll, announced Thursday by the league office.
After landing nine runners in the top-14 finishers of last year's ASUN Championship, the Bisons grabbed 10 first-place votes and 141 total points to finish ahead of EKU (131 tallies) in the preseason rankings. North Florida was just behind the Colones in third with 98 points while Central Arkansas (98), Queens (87) and Bellarmine (86) rounded out the top six.
Lipscomb's Kiara Carter was a unanimous selection for Preseason Runner of the Year after posting a 16:54.56 at the 2023 ASUN Championship to claim the Runner of the Year honor.
2024 Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Lipscomb (10) 141
2. EKU (2) 131
3. North Florida 112
4. Central Arkansas 98
5. Queens 87
6. Bellarmine 86
7. Stetson 63
8. North Alabama 58
9. FGCU 44
10. Austin Peay 43
11. Jacksonville 38
12. West Georgia 35
First-place votes in parentheses