Florida Men, Women Ranked Third in SEC Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll
Monday, August 31, 2015 | Cross Country
*Complete USTFCCCA Preseason Regional Rankings*
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Florida men and women's cross country teams were both chosen to finish third in the conference this season, as the conference released the 2015 SEC Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll on Monday.
Both teams were also ranked in Monday's United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Preseason Regional Rankings. The men checked in at No. 3, while the women were ranked No. 5 in the South Region.
On the men's side, the Gators return five of their top seven runners from last season, including senior Elliot Clemente and Mac Reynolds—the club's top finishers at the 2014 NCAA South Region Championship.
Florida will also get a boost from seniors Jimmy Clark and Eddie Garcia, both of whom redshirted last season. The two have combined for five USTFCCCA All-South Region laurels and three All-SEC accolades. Clark, a two-time All-SEC First Team runner, was also named the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2011.
For the women, USTFCCCA All-South Region honorees Becky Greene and Taylor Tubbs headline the deep contingent of runners returning this season. Sophomore Lauren Brasure, the 29th-place finisher at the 2014 NCAA South Region Championship, is back as well.
This is the sixth consecutive season the Gator men are ranked inside the top three in the league's preseason poll. This is the seventh top-three appearance in the last eight years for Florida's women.
2015 SEC Cross Country Coaches Preseason Poll
(parenthesis indicate first-place votes)
| MEN |
| WOMEN | ||||
| Rank | Team | Points | Rank | Team | Points | |
| 1 | Ole Miss (7) | 17 | 1 | Arkansas (12) | 15 | |
| 2 | Arkansas (6) | 19 | 2 | Vanderbilt (1) | 29 | |
| 3 | Florida | 43 | T3 | Alabama | 44 | |
| 4 | Missouri | 48 | T3 | Florida (1) | 44 | |
| 5 | Kentucky | 67 | 5 | Missouri | 64 | |
| 6 | Alabama | 75 | 6 | Mississippi State | 69 | |
| 7 | Georgia | 79 | 7 | Kentucky | 88 | |
| 8 | Texas A&M | 84 | 8 | Texas A&M | 100 | |
| 9 | Auburn | 85 | 9 | Auburn | 111 | |
| 10 | Tennessee | 104 | 10 | Ole Miss | 118 | |
| 11 | Mississippi State | 116 | 11 | Tennessee | 130 | |
| 12 | Vanderbilt | 138 | 12 | Georgia | 136 | |
| 13 | LSU | 139 | 13 | South Carolina | 162 | |
| 14 | LSU | 164 | ||||
UP NEXT
Florida opens the 2015 season at the Appalachian State Invitational in Boone, N.C. The women will run at 5:30 p.m. ET, while the men's race will commence at 6 p.m. ET.
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