Syracuse cross country ranked 21st in USTFCCCA National Coaches’ Poll

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Syracuse men’s cross country came in at No. 21 in the first release of the preseason U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Coaches’ Poll. The women’s team is unranked despite receiving eight votes. The men’s team finished last year at No. 19, while the women ended at No. 30.

Northern Arizona leads the men’s rankings. They also finished 2021 as the top-ranked team. On the women’s side, Atlantic Coast Conference rival NC State leads the country after finishing the previous season ranked No. 1.

The rankings are filled with conference opponents, with Wake Forest leading the ACC men at the ninth spot, followed by Notre Dame at No. 14, North Carolina at No. 16 and rounded out with the Orange at No. 21.

On the women’s side, there are three ACC teams ranked following top-seeded NC State. Notre Dame is next at sixth, then North Carolina at No. 14 and Florida State at No.30.

For the Syracuse men, they are projected to get one of the Northeast region’s two automatic bids to the NCAA championship. The Orange are in the second spot, trailing Harvard, who sits above them in the national rankings. The Orange won the region in 2021, which propelled them to nationals.

For the women, Providence and Harvard lead the way and are both projected to get the Northeast region’s automatic bids. Syracuse stands at No. 3 in the region, followed by Connecticut and Dartmouth. The Orange ended last season at the second spot in their region, which earned them a bid to the NCAA championship.