NEW ORLEANS – The national accolades continue for the University of Sioux Falls Men's Cross Country Team, which recorded its best season in school history in 2018. USF earned its best national ranking of No. 7 in the United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association Preseason Coaches Poll, which was released Wednesday (August 28). USF earned its best USTFCCCA ranking and bettered the No. 9 ranking on Sept. 16, 2015.
USF, which was recently ranked No. 5 in NCAA DII by the Flo Track website, is the highest ranked team from the NSIC.
The Cougars return a deep roster including two-time NSIC Preseason Athlete of the Year and two-time All-American
Mason Phillips, was the preseason favorite in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll. On Tuesday, Aug. 27, the Cougars were selected the No. 2 in the Central Region and just behind Missouri Southern, which is the No. 6 team in the DII poll. Defending national champion Grand Valley State earned 197 points and six of eight first place votes in the poll released today. Western Colorado earned a first place vote and 191 points for second place while the Colorado School of Mines also picked up a first place ballot and finished third with 186 points. After the top three, Chico State was fourth at 173 with Adams State, fifth at 172 points; Missouri Southern, sixth at 158; and then Sioux Falls, just behind at 149 points.
USF, directed by head coach
Doug Petersen, captured the program's first-ever NSIC title a year ago and had a program-best fifth place finish at nationals. In that race,
Mason Phillips had a program-best individual finish by taking seventh at the DII nationals.
Phillips along with seniors
Steven Brown and Zach Lundgren finished in the top three spots at the NSIC Championships. For the second straight year, Phillips and Brown occupied the first two spots with Phillips, who won the NSIC individual title in 2017, taking second behind
Steven Brown at the 2018 Championship. It was Brown's first ever individual NSIC title and USF's third as a program. 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.
NCAA DII National Coaches' Poll
1. Grand Valley State (Mich.) (6), 197
2. Western Colorado (1), 191
3. Colorado School of Mines (1), 186
4. Chico State, 173
5. Adams State, 172
6. Missouri Southern, 158
7. Sioux Falls, 149
8. Saginaw Valley State (Mich.), 145
9. Augustana, 133
10. UC-Colorado Springs, 121
11. Southern Indiana, 119
12. Queens (N.C.), 106
13. Simon Fraser, 101
14. West Texas A&M, 97
15. Charleston (W. Va.), 86
16. Lee (Tenn.), 78
17. Alaska Anchorage, 74
18. Stonehill (Mass.), 63
19. Mount Olive (N.C.), 60
20. Michigan Tech, 50
21. Black Hills State, 42
22. Walsh (Ken.), 33
23. Cal Poly Pomona, 26
24. Western Washington, 11
25. Edinboro (Pa.), 10
Also receiving votes – Augusta, 9; Southern Connecticut, 6; UNC Pembroke, 2; Embry-Riddle (Fla.), 1; MSU Moorhead, 1
