Men’s Cross Country Selected to Finish Second, Women’s Cross Country Selected to Finish Fourth in Big South Preseason Rankings

Big South Release

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Big South Conference released the 2024 preseason poll for men's and women's cross country, and the UNC Asheville men's team is predicted to finish second, and the UNC Asheville women's team is predicted to finish fourth. The league made the announcement on Wednesday (Aug. 21).

2024 BIG SOUTH MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON POLL

Rk - School (first-place votes)	Points
1 - Charleston Southern (8)	80
2 - UNC Asheville (1)	68
3 - High Point	67
4 - Radford	54
5 - USC Upstate	41
6 - Longwood	34
7 - Winthrop	31
8 - Gardner-Webb	16
9 - Presbyterian College	14

2024 BIG SOUTH WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON POLL

Rk - School (first-place votes)	Points
1 - High Point (8)	79
2 - Charleston Southern (1)	69
3 - Radford	63
4 - UNC Asheville	56
5 - Longwood	41
T-6 - Winthrop	32
T-6 - USC Upstate	32
8 - Gardner-Webb	21
9 - Presbyterian College	12

A LOOK BACK AT THE 2023 MEN'S SEASON

Asheville's men's team had one of the best 2023 seasons in program history. They finished runner-up in the 2023 Big South Conference Championships, the highest-place finish at the conference since Asheville's second-place finish in 1998.

The men's team also made program history by earning a spot in the NCAA DI Cross Country Regional Rankings for the first time. The Bulldogs earned a No. 14 ranking in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Adam Hessler led Asheville's efforts last season, earning All-Conference honors with an individual fourth-place finish at the Big South Championships with a time of 24:20.3. Hessler reset the school record in the 10K with a time of 30:20.6 at the Southeast Region Championships and set a new PR in the 8K at the Live in Lou XC Classic with a time of 24:19, the second-fastest time in program history.

Jan Málek had a standout freshman campaign in 2023, as he reset the program's freshman 8K record at 24:36.4 at the Big South Championships. He finished the championship race in seventh and also earned All-Conference honors.

Head Coach Adam Puett headlined Asheville's accolades in 2023 by being named the Big South Men's Coach of the Year. Puett is the first coach to earn this award on the men's side in program history.

For the upcoming season, the Bulldogs return six of the nine individuals who represented Asheville at the 2023 Big South Championships.

A LOOK BACK AT THE 2023 WOMEN'S SEASON

Asheville's women's team earned a fourth-place finish at last year's Big South Championships. The Bulldogs were led by Isabel Richardson, who made an immediate impact on the program during her freshman campaign. She set a new program record in the 5K at the 2023 Upstate Invitational with a time of 17:23.9. Richardson earned the highest-place finish for Asheville at the conference championships, as she finished eighth to earn All-Conference second-team honors with a time of 17:26.9.

Ella Moore also earned All-Conference second-team honors with a 12th-place finish at 18:11.5.

For the upcoming season, the Bulldogs return seven of the nine individuals who represented Asheville at the 2023 Big South Championships.

2024 SEASON PREVIEW

Asheville begins its season in Boone, N.C., as the Bulldogs compete in the Covered Bridge Open, hosted by Appalachian State on Aug. 30. The Bulldogs will then compete in the Furman Invitational on Sept. 14 in Greenville, S.C., before traveling down the road to Brevard College for the Brevard Invitational on Sept. 21. Asheville will be making its return to Louisville, Ky., for the Live in Lou Classic on Oct. 5 before the Bulldogs wrap up the regular season by returning to App State on Oct. 18.

This year's Big South Conference Championships will be held on Nov. 1 in Charleston, S.C. The NCAA Southeast Regionals will be hosted in Rock Hill, S.C., on Nov. 15, and the NCAA National Championships will be held in Madison, Wis., on Nov. 23.

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