Orange picked to claim sixth consecutive league title, Wolfpack women chosen to win third straight
 
GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – The reigning Atlantic Coast Conference Cross Country champion Syracuse men and NC State women have been selected to successfully defend their titles in 2018 in a vote of the league’s head coaches. 

Syracuse, which captured the 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 ACC men’s titles in its first five seasons as a conference member, is again the preseason favorite in this year’s vote. Virginia placed second, followed by NC State, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech to round out the top five.

Two-time defending champion NC State was the first-place choice on the women’s side for the third straight preseason. Notre Dame finished second in the voting, followed by Louisville, Virginia Tech and Syracuse.

The ACC is well-represented in the USTFCCCA coaches’ preseason Top 30 rankings released Tuesday, with a total of six league teams – three men’s and three women’s – included.

Syracuse leads ACC men’s teams at No. 10 in the USTFCCCA rankings. Virginia is ranked 17th, followed by NC State at No. 21.

NC State’s women earned a No. 6 preseason ranking for the second consecutive year, with Syracuse at No. 22 and Notre Dame at No. 23.

The Syracuse men finished 13th at the 2017 NCAA Championships, while Virginia placed 16th, NC State 17th and Virginia Tech 20th. The NC State women finished eighth, while Syracuse placed 26th.  

The 2018 NCAA cross country season gets underway this weekend, with 13 of the ACC’s 15 schools slated to see action. Seven meets involving ACC programs are scheduled for Friday, followed by an additional five on Saturday.

This year’s ACC Cross Country Championships are set for Friday, October 26 at Franklin Park in Boston. NCAA Regionals are set for November 9, followed by the NCAA Championships on Saturday, November 17 at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Verona, Wisconsin.