2019 MAAC Cross Country Preseason Poll
EDISON, NJ (Aug. 27, 2019) – Defending champion Iona College was selected as the men’s and women’s cross country preseason favorite, as voted on by the leagues’ 11 head coaches.
The Iona men’s team swept the poll with a total of 121 points and all first-place votes. The Gaels have won 28 consecutive MAAC Men’s Cross Country Championships, the longest active conference title streak in NCAA Division I.
Siena College (101 points) was tabbed second behind Iona after the team’s second place finish at home last year, while Monmouth University (91) rounds out the top three. Quinnipiac (85) was voted in fourth place and in fifth place was Marist College with 76 points.
Manhattan College received 72 points, placing them in sixth, followed by Canisius College in seventh (55) and Rider University in eighth (52). Fairfield University (38), Niagara University (24) and Saint Peter’s University (11) closed out the preseason poll.
At last year’s championship, Iona’s Liam Dee won the program’s 17th-straight individual title.
On the women’s side, Iona received a total of 120 points. The Gaels have won 13 of the last 14 MAAC Championships. Iona’s narrow, two-point victory over Quinnipiac in 2016 was the closest MAAC Championship race since 2002.
Marist claimed second with 105 points and Siena (93) placed third to close the top three. Quinnipiac (91) earned fourth place, while Monmouth came in fifth place with 71 points.
Manhattan (65) was picked sixth, followed by Canisius (58) in seventh, and Rider (55) in eighth. Fairfield (33) placed ninth, while Niagara was 10
th with 24 points. Saint Peters received 11 points to round out the poll.
The 2019 MAAC Cross Country Championships will take place on Saturday, Nov. 2, hosted by Monmouth University at Holmdel Park in Holmdel, NJ.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 39th year of competition during the 2019-20 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.