Women's Cross Country Starts Season Ranked 14th Nationally
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 | Cross Country
The University of Florida women's cross country will start the season with a 14th-place national ranking, according the to the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) preseason poll.
The Gators, who were picked to win the Southeastern Conference title in a coaches' preseason vote, finished 17th overall the 2008 NCAA Championships after earning an automatic bid with a second-place finish at the South Regional meet.
Cross country coach Todd Morgan returned four All-SEC and All-South Region runners as well as two SEC Freshmen of the Year in sophomore Genevieve LaCaze (Daisy Hill, Australia) and redshirt sophomore Rebecca Lowe (Vaucluse, Australia). He also welcomed five new faces to the team, including junior transfer Stacey Johnson (Lichfield, England), who placed third overall at the British University Cross Country Championships and represented England on an international level.
Florida was the highest-ranking SEC school with Arkansas ranked 27th and Kentucky and Tennessee receiving votes.
Washington, the defending national champions, earned the top spot in the preseason poll, followed by Oregon, last year's runner-up. In-state rival Florida State ranked third, followed by West Virginia and Villanova.
Both the men's and women's cross country teams kick off the season Friday, Sept. 18 with the 21st Annual Mountain Dew Invitational on the UF Golf Course. The women's 5K will start at 6:30 p.m. and the men's 8K will begin at 7 p.m.
U.S Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Preseason Poll
Sept. 15, 2009
| School | Total Votes |
| 1. Washington | 360 |
| 2. Oregon | 344 |
| 3. Florida State | 331 |
| 4. West Virginia | 329 |
| 5. Villanova | 311 |
| 6. Stanford | 290 |
| 7. Princeton | 283 |
| 8. Minnesota | 271 |
| 9. Georgetown | 238 |
| 10. Illinois | 223 |
| 11. Arizona State | 212 |
| 12. Providence | 210 |
| 13. Baylor | 199 |
| 14. FLORIDA | 197 |
| 15. Wisconsin | 181 |
| 16. Northern Arizona | 172 |
| 17. Michigan State | 143 |
| 18. Virginia | 137 |
| 19. Michigan | 130 |
| 20. Rice | 115 |
| 21. Colorado | 111 |
| 22. New Mexico | 98 |
| 23. Syracuse | 85 |
| 24. Texas Tech | 83 |
| 25. BYU | 80 |
| 26. Penn State | 61 |
| 27. Arkansas* | 59 |
| 28. Iowa State | 54 |
| 29. Notre Dame | 52 |
| 30. Duke | 51 |
Other Receiving Votes: Stony Brook 47; Boston College 33; SMU 25; Iowa 24; Nebraska 14; Colorado State 9; Wake Forest 7; Kentucky* 3; Oklahoma State 3; Indiana 2; Tennessee* 2; Arizona 1.
Other South Region schools
* - SEC schools
