GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – The reigning Atlantic Coast Conference Cross Country champion Notre Dame men and NC State women have been selected to successfully defend their team titles in a vote of the league’s head coaches.
Notre Dame, which broke Syracuse’s five-year hold on the ACC men’s title at last November’s conference meet in Boston, earned the coaches’ preseason nod for the first time. Syracuse placed second, followed by NC State and Virginia. Florida State and Wake Forest tied for fifth in the voting.
Three-time defending champion NC State was the first-place choice on the women’s side for the fourth straight preseason. Notre Dame finished second in the voting, followed by Florida State, Syracuse and Duke to round out the top five.
The ACC was well-represented in the 2019 USTFCCCA coaches’ preseason Top 30 rankings released Tuesday, with a total of eight league teams – four men’s and four women’s – included. The Notre Dame men led all conference teams at No. 9, while the NC State women checked in at No. 10.
No. 12 Syracuse followed Notre Dame on the men’s side, along with No. 13 NC State and No. 23 Virginia. Notre Dame’s women’s earned a No. 11 preseason ranking, followed by No. 20 Florida State and No. 24 Syracuse.
The 2019 NCAA cross country season gets underway this weekend, with nine of the ACC’s 15 programs set to see early action.
This year’s ACC Cross Country Championships are set for Friday Nov. 1, at Virginia Tech. NCAA Regionals are scheduled for November 15, followed by the NCAA Championships on Saturday, November 23, at Terre Haute, Indiana.
The 2019 ACC Cross Country preseason predicted order of finish, as determined by the league’s head coaches:
MEN
1. Notre Dame
2. Syracuse
3. NC State
4. Virginia
t-5. Florida State
t-5. Wake Forest
7. Virginia Tech
8. Duke
9. North Carolina
10. Georgia Tech
11. Louisville
12. Pitt
13. Boston College
14. Clemson
15. Miami
WOMEN
1. NC State
2. Notre Dame
3. Florida State
4. Syracuse
5. Duke
6. Georgia Tech
7. Virginia Tech
8. Wake Forest
9. Virginia
10. North Carolina
11. Boston College
12. Louisville
13. Clemson
14. Pitt
15. Miami