The Sun Belt released the 2023 Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Preseason Coaches Polls on Thursday. The App State men’s team is projected to finish second, earning 72 points and two first-place votes. The Mountaineers’ women’s squad is projected to finish fifth, earning 123 points and two first-place votes.

Arkansas State is favored to take both the men’s and women’s titles, with the men earning 78 points and six first-place votes, while the women earned 159 points and six first-place votes.

At the 2022 Sun Belt Championships, the Mountaineer men finished second with 46 points, led by Oliver Wilson-Cook, who placed fifth overall with an 8K time of 24:48.2. Wilson-Cook earned first-team All-SBC honors, while Ryan Brown, Garrett Bivens, and Chase Burrell earned second-team All-SBC honors for finishing among the top-10. Ryan Teuscher also earned third-team All-SBC honors for finishing in the top-15.

The App State women’s squad took fifth overall in the team standings with 117 points. Linnea Maynard set pace for the Mountaineers, placing 15th individually with a 6K time of 17:43.5. Maynard secured third-team All-SBC accolades.

New men’s and women’s distance coaches Brad Herbster and Annie Richards are set to lead the Mountaineers during the 2023 campaign. App State will host the Firetower Run Project on Sept. 1 and Covered Bridge Open on Sept. 15. Both meets will be held at the Don Kennedy Trails located at State Farm Field.

The Sun Belt Cross Country Championships are scheduled for Nov. 28 in Foley, Ala.

2023 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll:
1. Arkansas State (6) – 78 points
2. App State (2) – 72 points
3. Marshall (1) – 56 points
4. South Alabama – 55 points
5. Louisiana – 48 points
6. Coastal Carolina – 36 points
7. ULM – 27 points
8. Troy – 20 points
9. Texas State – 13 points

2023 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll:
1. Arkansas State (6) – 159 points
T2. James Madison – 136 points
T2. Marshall (1) – 136 points
T2. Southern Miss (4) – 136 points
5. App State (2) – 123 points
6. Coastal Carolina – 103 points
7. South Alabama – 91 points
8. Louisiana – 78 points
9. ULM – 70 points
10. Troy – 51 points
11. Texas State – 45 points
12. Georgia Southern – 35 points
13. Georgia State – 20 points