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Bowling Green State University Athletics
MAC Cross Country Polls Released
August 13, 2002 | Men's Cross Country
Aug. 13, 2002
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Mid-American Conference cross country coaches have made their predictions for the 2002 season, and the Bowling Green State University Falcons have been tabbed to tie for 10th in the women's poll and finish 11th in the men's race.
The Falcons of head coach Cami Wells open the 2002 season at Eastern Michigan on Aug. 31. Wells, entering her fourth season as the women's coach, is in her first season coaching the men's team.
Last year, the BGSU men's team finished eighth at the MAC meet, while the Falcon women's squad placed 12th.
The following is the release issued by the Mid-American Conference office...
Eastern Michigan is the clear-cut favorite to repeat as the Mid-American Conference men's cross country champions in the league's pre-season poll conducted among its head coaches. Eastern received 144 points out of a possible 144 points. The University of Toledo was picked to repeat as the women's champion after receiving 156 out of a possible 156 points. One school abstained from voting in the women's poll.
On the women's side, Toledo has all of its top runners returning, including individual MAC champion Briana Shook. Coming in second with 143 points was Ball State. Ball State finished second at the MAC Championships last year to Toledo.
Coming in third place is Kent State with 124 points, closely followed by Miami, 119 points, and Central Michigan, 111 points.
Western Michigan is picked to finish sixth place with 97 points, while Akron moves down in the poll from last year to seventh place with 84 points. Ohio is picked to finish eighth with 67 points and Eastern Michigan is picked to finish in ninth place with 59 points. Buffalo and Bowling Green are tied for tenth place with 46 points. Finishing the poll are Marshall and Northern Illinois with 23 and 20 points, respectively.
On the men's side, EMU returns all of its top runners from last year including NCAA Cross Country Champion Boaz Cheboiywo. Picked to finish second was CMU with 128 points, with Miami finishing a close third with 122 points. Fourth was KSU with 107 points.
UB was picked to finish fifth with 93 points, followed closely by WMU with 89 points. Picked to finish seventh was BSU with 68 points, while Marshall was slated to come in eighth with 45 points.
OU and UT are tied for ninth with 41 points. Rounding out the poll are BGSU and UA with 30 and 28 points, respectively.
2002 MAC Women's Cross Country
Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Toledo (12)..............156
2. Ball State...............143
3. Kent State...............124
4. Miami....................119
5. Central Michigan.........111
6. Western Michigan..........97
7. Akron.....................84
8. Ohio......................67
9. Eastern Michigan..........59
10. Bowling Green.............46
Buffalo...................46
12. Marshall..................23
13. Northern Illinois.........20
2002 MAC Men's Cross Country
Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Eastern Michigan (12)....144
2. Central Michigan.........128
3. Miami....................122
4. Kent State...............107
5. Buffalo...................93
6. Western Michigan..........89
7. Ball State................68
8. Marshall..................45
9. Ohio......................41
Toledo....................41
11. Bowling Green.............30
12. Akron.....................28
First-place votes in parentheses
