SIOUX FALLS -- A year after winning the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Championship for the first time and finishing a program fifth at the NCAA DII nationals, the University of Sioux Falls Men's Cross Country Team is receiving accolades as one of the top programs in NCAA DII.

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. And now one of the nation's top track websites, Flo Track has named the USF Men's Cross Country squad as the No. 5 team in NCAA DII.

Flo Track's take on USF: "Sioux Falls men underwent a remarkable transformation in 2018, going from 27th at national the year prior to a program-best fifth last fall. With six of their top seven returning this season, the Cougars will be in a podium or bust mode in 2019. Spearheading the team's turnaround over the last two seasons has been No. 1 runner Mason Phillips, a two-time XC All-American, who was seventh in Pittsburgh last December. Phillips may be more of a mid-D guy on the track but his exploits in cross - back-to-back top-15 NCAA finishes - show him to be one of the favorites to win it all in 2019. Behind Phillips, Steven Brown has the potential to do much more than he's shown at nationals. THe senior-to-be was only 51st at NCAAs last but but actually won the conference title over Phillips just a month prior....he is bursting with All-American talent. The same is true for Zach Lundburg."

To read more about the Flo Track opinion on USF Men's Cross Country, click here.

Quick Preview on USF Men's XC - 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.

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.

USF opens the season at the Augustana Twilight on Friday, Sept. 6 at Yankton Trails Park in Sioux Falls.