Cross Country Ranked No. 9
October 21, 2014 04:37 PM | General
 |
| Cleary |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Following a fifth-place finish in a meet that saw the West Virginia University cross country team finish ahead of 17 ranked teams, the Mountaineers moved up 11 spots to No. 9 in the USTFCCCA National Rankings released today.
The No. 9 ranking is the highest for West Virginia since the postseason poll in 2011, marking WVU’s 16th week in the top 10 since 2008.
“The team have been rewarded after running as they did at Wisconsin,” said coach Sean Cleary. “I now see our rankings as a nice compliment for their work over the regular season. We can now lay them to rest and prepare for a very rigorous postseason.”
In Saturday’s Wisconsin Adidas Invitational, West Virginia defeated seven of the nation’s top-14 teams. The Mountaineers have recorded four top-5 finishes to begin a season for the first time since 2009.
“The team’s goals this season are simple,” Cleary said. “In order of priority, we want to be in the NCAA Finals. In order to accomplish that, the NCAA Regional meet is of great priority. Next, we want to run the very best race that we are capable of at the Big 12 Championships. At this moment in time, we will continue to train for the NCAA Championships and be as ready as possible for the Big 12.”
The Mountaineers also jumped one spot to No. 2 in the Mid-Atlantic Region rankings.
West Virginia will have a week off before traveling to Lawrence, Kansas, for the 2014 Big 12 Cross Country Championships on Nov. 1. The Mountaineers finished second in the event a year ago.
2026 Mountaineer Invitational Preview
Thursday, April 09
Nate Gabriel | April 8
Thursday, April 09
Coach Rich Rodriguez | April 8
Thursday, April 09
Coach Rod West | April 8
Thursday, April 09
