Mars Hill Picked to Win 2017 South Atlantic Conference Men's Cross Country Championship

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – Mars Hill University was picked to win the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Men's Cross Country Title, the League announced today.  The Lions received eight first-place votes and 98 points from the head coaches as member institutions aren't allowed to vote for their own teams.

Mars Hill won its 19^th South Atlantic Conference Men's Cross Country Championship a season ago.  The Lions posted the top overall finisher in the 2016 SAC Cross Country Championship to go along with four runners in the top 10.  The United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) currently have the Lions ranked No. 3 in the Southeast Region.

Queens placed second in the poll with three top bids and 93 points from the panel.  The Royals placed three runners in the top 10 at the 2016 SAC Championship to finish second as a team and are ranked No. 2 in the USTFCCA SE Region Poll.

Anderson came in at No. 3 in the poll with 80 points, while Lincoln Memorial landed at No. 4 with 70 points.  At the 2016 SAC Men's Cross Country Championship, Anderson finished third as the Railsplitters came in at No. 4.  LMU came in at No. 8 in the USTFCCA Southeast Region Poll, while the Trojans are ranked No. 9.

Wingate rounded out the top five in the preseason poll 68 points after coming in fifth at the 2016 SAC Championship.

Catawba and Lenoir-Rhyne tied for the No. 6 spot as each member institution collected 51 points. 

Carson-Newman collected 35 points to come in at No. 8, ahead of Coker who posted 24 points.

Tusculum landed at No. 10 with 23 points and Newberry wrapped up the poll with 12 points.

The 2017 South Atlantic Conference Men's Cross Country season is set to get underway on Friday, Sept. 1.

2017 SAC Men's Cross Country Preseason Polls