DSU men's XC team ranks 15th in NAIA preseason poll

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Defending National Champion Malone (Ohio) has been picked as the No. 1 team in the NAIA Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Wednesday.  Dakota State ranks No. 15 with 273 points in the national poll.  It is the highest rank for the Trojans since 2009 when they ranked No. 19 in the final national poll.  The Trojans captured their first ever Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) title last season in Rapid City, S.D.  DSU finished 16th at the NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championship meet in Vancouver, Wash. in November.  Fifteen conferences had at least one team land a spot in the preseason poll.

The Trojan women's cross country team received votes to the NAIA Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Top 25 Poll.  Biola (Calif.) was picked as No. 1 women's cross country team. The poll was voted upon a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences, independents and unaffiliated groups.  The first regular season poll of the 2010 season will be released on Sept. 13.

Dakota State cross country teams will open their 2010 season at the Dakota Wesleyan Invitational on Sept. 3.  The meet will be held in Mitchell, S.D. at 4 p.m. 

Below are the complete listings of the NAIA Men's and Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Top 25 Poll (with first-place votes in parenthesis):

2010 NAIA Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll

Other receiving votes:  Black Hills State (S.D.) 101; Indiana Wesleyan 56; Lindenwood (Mo.) 53; The Master's College (Calif.) 51; Doane (Neb.) 34; California Baptist 16; Great Falls (Mont.) 10; Northwood (Fla.) 10; Siena Heights (Mich.) 10; St. Ambrose (Iowa) 10; St. Francis (Ill.) 6; Spring Arbor (Mich.) 6; Holy Names (Calif.) 4; Berea (Ky.) 3; Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) 1; Dordt (Iowa) 1; McPherson (Kan.) 1; Xaiver (La.) 1; William Woods (Mo.) 1; Minot State (N.D.) 1; Vanguard (Calif.) 1; Savannah College of Art and Design (Ga.) 1.

2010 NAIA Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll

Other receiving votes:  Westmont (Calif.) 135; St. Xavier (Ill.) 106; Park (Mo.) 95; Vanguard (Calif.) 57; Southwestern (Kan.) 40; Northwestern (Iowa) 39; Lindenwood (Mo.) 35; Wayland Baptist (Texas) 22; Jamestown (N.D.) 20; Mount Mercy (Iowa) 17; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 14; Northwest Christian (Ore.) 4; Taylor (Ind.) 3; Siena Heights (Mo.) 1; Dakota State (S.D.) 1; Cornerstone (Mich.) 1; Mills (Calif.) 1; Willam Woods (Mo.) 1; Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 1; Savannah College of Art and Design (Ga.) 1.