SIOUX FALLS -- A year after winning the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Championship for the first time, the USF Men's Cross Country squad, directed by NSIC Men's Coach of the Year Doug Petersen, has been picked to win the NSIC in the preseason men's cross country coaches' poll. The USF Women, which finished a program-best fourth a year ago, were tabbed fifth in the preseason coaches poll.

The USF Men's Team, which was picked to win the league championship for the first time in school history, received nine first place votes and tallied 162 points. The Cougars ranked just one point ahead of Augustana, which received 161 points and the other five first place votes. MSU Moorhead was third with 139 points followed by the Minnesota State, which had 129 points. USF's Women's Team received 169 points for fifth. The three-time defending NSIC Champions of the University of Mary were the pick to win the NSIC in the preseason women's cross country coaches' poll. The Marauders received 13 first place votes and tallied 223 points to rank ahead of Augustana, which tallied 212 points and the other three first place votes. 

Mason Phillips, who was the 2017 NSIC Champion and last year's runner-up, has repeated as NSIC Preseason Athlete of the Year. Phillips finished seventh at the 2018 NCAA Championships as he earned his second All-American accolade in 2018. A senior from Bailey, Colo., Phillips, who was All American and 15^th at the DII championships two years ago, has earned nine NSIC Weekly Athlete of the Week honors in track and field and cross country. Phillips, who has nine cross country titles in the past two seasons with back-to-back Roy Griak titles, was named NSIC Cross Country Athlete of the Year in 2017 when he was Central Region Athlete of the Year. Taryn Ceglowski, a junior from Salida, Colo., was named USF Women's Athlete to Watch. U-Mary's Ida Narbuvoll was named NSIC Preseason Athlete of the Year. Narbuvoll is coming off a season where she finished second at the NSIC Championships, fourth at the NCAA Central Region meet and was 12th at the NCAA Championships earning All-American honors.  

Men's Preview - Phillips leads veteran group as Cougars vie for another title
Led by Phillips and defending NSIC champion Steven Brown as well as three-time track and field All-American Zach Lundberg, USF will lean on experience and some of the league's top runners to repeat as NSIC champions.  A year ago, the Cougars captured the NSIC title for the first time in school history as Steven Brown took his first-ever individual title with Phillips finished second and Lundberg, third. USF has won the individual crown two straight years.
"We are looking forward to season after a summer of hard work," said Peterson. "The team looks focused and ready to get out and compete. With Mason (Phillips), Steven (Brown) and Zach (Lundberg), we have a solid core returning. But we have a team – a family – who will push each other to be the best they can be," he said.

After winning the NSIC title, USF advanced to the NCAA DIIs nationals for a second straight year and fourth time overall with a third place finish at the NCAA DII Central Region Meet. USF claimed a program-best fifth place at nationals after Phillips earned his second straight All-American honor. At regionals, Phillips was fifth, and Zach Lundberg, eighth, in the individual competition. With NSIC champion Steven Brown finishing 18^th, the Cougars placed four in the top 20. Phillips, Lundberg, and Brown all earned All-NSIC honors.  Lundberg, who has earned three All-American honors in track and field, finished third at the NSIC Championship.

At the NSIC Championship, Brown became the third USF student-athlete to win a conference title. At the NSIC Championship, USF captured four of the top five spots to win with 32 points in a dominating team performance. USF also returns seven others who competed at the league meet. Others who will compete for spots on the team include senior Billy Beseman, who was 22^nd at the NSIC meet a year ago when the Cougars averaged an incredible 24:32.32 across 8,000 meters in capturing a title. In addition, senior Dan Armstrong, sophomore Shodo Mohamed, Aaron Voigt and David Ecker, 73^rd; along with junior Logan Hansen will vie for spots.

Men's Preseason Poll
1.      University of Sioux Falls (9)	162
2.      Augustana University (5)	161
3.      Minnesota State University Moorhead	139
4.      Minnesota State University, Mankato	129
5.      University of Minnesota Duluth	124
6.      University of Mary	109
7.      Concordia University, St. Paul	103
8.      Northern State University	83
9.      Winona State University	70
10.  Minot State University	61
11.  Southwest Minnesota State University	48
12.  Wayne State College	45
13.  Upper Iowa University	24
14.   University of Minnesota Crookston	16

Women's Preview – USF picked to finish fifth in preseason poll
The University of Sioux Falls Women's Cross Country Team, which is directed by Director of Cross Country/Track and Field Doug Petersen, will look to improve on the program's all-time best finish of fourth a year ago. In the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Cougars were picked to finish fifth with 169 points.

The three-time defending NSIC Champions of the University of Mary were the pick to win the NSIC in the preseason women's cross country coaches' poll. The Marauders received 13 first place votes and tallied 223 points to rank ahead of Augustana, which tallied 212 points and the other three first place votes. 

Minnesota Duluth was third with 185 points, Minnesota State, fourth at 184 points and the Cougars fifth with 169 points.

The Cougars will be led by standout junior runner and Athlete to Watch Taryn Ceglowski who recorded the highest finish ever at the NSIC Championships by a women's team member, which had been held by Sierra Harder, who was sixth in 2013. Ceglowski, who earned her second straight first team All-NSIC honor in 2018, has been named USF's Athlete to Watch in the NSIC preseason announcement, also clocked the fastest time by a USF women's runner at the league meet with a clocking of 21:34.90 which was a personal-best by 20.9 seconds. As a result, USF finished with its best team result since joining the league in 2012. Ceglowski has finished in the league's top 12 in back-to-back meets.

"Our Women's Team really stepped up a year ago with their best ever finish," said Petersen. "We look for the team – our family – to continue their progress and have another standout season. I hope we can continue to move up the league standings," he said.

The Cougars also return junior Kiara Mattern, who finished 20^th at the 2018 meet and improved her best time by 76 seconds. Others back include senior Montana Belford, who was 55^th at the league meet, while sophomore Maria Street took 59^th with a clocking that was 75 seconds better than her previous best. Other returnees with opportunities to push for varsity spots will include juniors Annabelle Schulz and Sadie Thompson, and sophomores Tianna Wald and Abbi Hanna.

The 2019 NSIC cross country season gets underway on Thursday, September 5 with the regular season culminating on Saturday, October 26 at the NSIC Cross Country Championship held in Wayne, Nebraska, hosted by Wayne State College. The NCAA Central Regional will be held on Saturday, November 9 in Joplin, Missouri while the NCAA National Championships will take place on November 23 at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento, California. USF will open the season at the Augustana Twilight in Sept. 6 at Yankton Trails Park.

Women's Preseason Poll
1.      University of Mary	223
2.      Augustana University	212
3.      University of Minnesota Duluth	185
4.      Minnesota State University, Mankato	184
5.      University of Sioux Falls	169
6.      Winona State University	164
7.      Northern State University	131
8.      Minnesota State University Moorhead	122
9.      St. Cloud State University	113
10.  Concordia University, St. Paul	110
11.  Wayne State College	74
12.  Minot State University	70
13.  Southwest Minnesota State University	60
14.  Bemidji State University	49
15.  Upper Iowa University	39
16.   University of Minnesota Crookston	15