AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Augusta State men's cross country squad was picked to finish fifth in the Peach Belt Conference's preseason poll, according to a recent release from the league office. The voting was done by the league's nine head coaches.
The Jaguars are in their first season under head coach Adam Ward
after the reinstatement of the men's cross country program last
summer. The Jags will be competing for the first time since
2002.
Columbus State, which won its fourth consecutive PBC Championship
in 2009, was tabbed as the preseason favorite. The Cougars received
six of a possible eight first-place votes and return four of their
top five runners.
The PBC will have a new look in men's cross country with the
addition of ASU as well as Montevallo's men's programs, bringing
the total number of teams to nine, the most the league has had
since 2002. Montevallo's Michael Marquardt and Armstrong Atlantic's
Alan Segal are joining ASU's Ward as new coaches of men's teams in
the PBC.
The 2010 PBC men's cross country season gets underway on Sept. 3
with most teams hitting the trail for the first time Sept. 10. The
2010 PBC Championships will be run on Saturday, Nov. 6, at
Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, Ga.
The races will be part of the first-ever PBC Fall Festival, which
will include the men's and women's soccer championships in addition
to the cross country championships in the same facility at the same
time.
Below is the 2010 PBC Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll. Coaches
were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
2010 Peach Belt Conference Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th Total
1. Columbus State 6 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 59
2. Clayton State 1 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 55
3. UNC Pembroke 1 1 4 0 1 1 0 0 46
4. Georgia College & State 0 0 1 5 1 1 0 0 38
5. AUGUSTA STATE 0 1 2 2 1 1 0 1 37
6. Montevallo 1 0 0 1 1 2 3 0 29
7. Flagler 0 0 0 0 3 2 2 1 23
8. Francis Marion 0 0 0 0 1 2 4 1 19
9. Armstrong Atlantic 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 6 18