AUGUSTA, Ga.
– Augusta State's women's cross country squad was picked to
finish second in the Peach Belt Conference's preseason poll,
according to a release Wednesday afternoon from the league office.
The voting was done by the league's 10 head coaches.
The Lady Jaguars, entering their seventh season under head coach
Adam Ward, return all but two letterwinners from last season's
squad that posted five top-five finishes, including a victory in
their season opener. ASU finished fifth at both the PBC
Championships and NCAA Southeast Regional.
With the reinstatement of the men's cross country program, Ward's
duties have expanded as well. The Jaguar men's team will be
competing for the first time since 2002.
Columbus State, which won its fifth consecutive PBC Championship
in 2009, was tabbed as the preseason favorite. The Lady Cougars
received seven of a possible nine first-place votes, seven points
ahead of ASU. Clayton State was picked to finish third, followed by
Georgia College & State in fourth and UNC Pembroke in
fifth.
The 2010 PBC women's cross country season begins 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 Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll.
Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
2010 Peach Belt Conference Preseason Poll
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th Total
1. Columbus State 7 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 74
2. AUGUSTA STATE 1 4 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 67
3. Clayton State 1 1 0 4 1 2 0 0 0 65
4. GCSU 0 1 2 2 3 0 1 0 0 52
5. UNC Pembroke 0 1 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 51
6. Montevallo 0 1 2 2 0 1 1 2 0 45
t7. Flagler 1 0 0 0 1 1 3 2 1 32
t7. USC Aiken 0 0 0 0 2 4 1 1 1 32
9. Francis Marion 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 5 2 23
10. Ga. Southwestern 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 6 20