GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Notre Dame men and NC State women emerged as 2020 Atlantic Coast Conference cross country preseason favorites in a vote of the league’s head coaches.

Notre Dame, which returns several key runners from the squad that captured the program’s first ACC title two seasons ago, was closely followed in the men’s voting by defending champion Syracuse. The Orange have placed first at the ACC Men’s Championship six of seven seasons since joining the conference in 2013.

Virginia placed third in the 2020 men’s preseason voting, followed by NC State, Wake Forest and Florida State.

Four-time defending champion NC State was the first-place choice on the women’s side for the fifth straight preseason. Florida State finished second in the coaches’ voting, followed by Notre Dame, Syracuse, North Carolina and Wake Forest among the top six.

ACC teams will compete over the next seven weeks, culminating with the 2020 ACC Cross Country Championships Friday, Oct. 30, in Cary, North Carolina. The ACC plans to hold the Championships at WakeMed Soccer Park for the first year since 2016 and third time overall.

The complete 2020 ACC Cross Country preseason predicted orders of finish, as determined by the league’s head coaches:

MEN
1. Notre Dame
2. Syracuse
3. Virginia
4. NC State
5. Wake Forest
6. Florida State
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. Florida State
3. Notre Dame
4. Syracuse
5. North Carolina
6. Wake Forest
7. Boston College
8. Duke
9. Virginia Tech
10. Virginia
11. Georgia Tech
12. Louisville
13. Pitt
14. Clemson
15. Miami