Merrimack Women’s Cross Country Sixth; Men’s Cross Country Ninth in Preseason Poll

With the first meet this Saturday, the women’s cross country team was picked sixth while the men were ninth in the Northeast-10 Preseason Polls.

Fueled by a strong incoming recruiting class aided by the addition of the men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track teams, both teams are expected to improve off of last season’s output when the men finished 11^th in the conference and the women were sixth.

Both teams are also ranked regionally entering the fall season, which opens Saturday at the Skyhawk Relays in Easton.

Stonehill was picked first in the women’s poll, earning 15 of 16 first-place votes and 225 overall votes. UMass Lowell, Saint Rose, Bentley, and Southern Connecticut rounded out the top five, with Merrimack sixth.

On the men’s side, UMass Lowell earned the top spot with 13 first-place votes and 195 total votes. Stonehill, Bentley, Southern Connecticut, AIC and Saint Rose represented the second through sixth positions.