NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The defending NCAA Northeast Regional champion Iona University men's cross country team was picked second in the region and No. 15 in the nation in the preseason release of the 2024 USTFCCCA National Coaches' Poll and Regional Rankings.
Following its 33rd straight MAAC Championship effort in late October 2023, the Gaels went on to capture the Northeast Regional Championship for the ninth time in school history and first time since 2012 in the race hosted at Van Cortlandt Park. The Maroon & Gold earned an automatic team bid into the NCAA Championship following the effort.
Last week the Gaels were unanimously selected to defend its MAAC title. All-Region senior returners Lachlan Wellington (10th, 29:55.4), Nick Soldevere (11th, 29:57.4) and Matt Rankin (14th, 30:00.5) along with All-MAAC performers: junior Tadhg Donnelly and sophomores Aiden Coles and Scott Fagan are the Maroon & Gold's top performers from 2023 returning for an encore run.
Iona opens action this weekend at the Marist Invitational hosted at Vassar Farms.
2024 NCAA DI Men's Cross Country Regional Rankings - Preseason
| Rnk. |
School |
2023 Finish |
| 1. |
Harvard |
2 |
| 2. |
Iona |
1 |
| 3. |
Syracuse |
3 |
| 4. |
Providence |
4 |
| 5. |
Cornell |
5 |
| 6. |
Yale |
6 |
| 7. |
Columbia |
7 |
| 8. |
Northeastern |
8 |
| 9. |
Stony Brook |
9 |
| 10. |
Boston University |
10 |
| 11. |
Army |
11 |
| 12. |
UMass Lowell |
12 |
| 13. |
Central Connecticut |
13 |
| 14. |
UMass |
14 |
| 15. |
Maine |
15 |
USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Men's Cross Country National Coaches' Poll - Preseason
| Rnk. |
School (FPV) |
Points |
2023 NCAA Finish |
| 1. |
Oklahoma State (11) |
330 |
1 |
| 2. |
BYU |
314 |
3 |
| 3. |
Arkansas |
305 |
4 |
| 4. |
Northern Arizona |
297 |
2 |
| 5. |
Iowa State |
293 |
5 |
| 6. |
Notre Dame |
252 |
14 |
| 7. |
North Carolina |
251 |
6 |
| 8. |
New Mexico |
232 |
18 |
| 9. |
Alabama |
228 |
--- |
| 10. |
Stanford |
226 |
8 |
| 11. |
Harvard |
208 |
15 |
| 12. |
Butler |
197 |
21 |
| 13. |
Wisconsin |
181 |
10 |
| 14. |
Eastern Kentucky |
177 |
31 |
| 15. |
Iona |
148 |
29 |
| 16. |
Portland |
144 |
23 |
| 17. |
Villanova |
136 |
20 |
| 18. |
Princeton |
129 |
11 |
| 19. |
Wake Forest |
128 |
24 |
| 20. |
Colorado |
124 |
25 |
| 21. |
Oregon |
113 |
--- |
| 22. |
Syracuse |
104 |
9 |
| 23. |
Virginia |
99 |
22 |
| 24. |
Texas |
84 |
7 |
| 25. |
Montana State |
63 |
13 |
| 25. |
Washington |
63 |
--- |
| 27. |
Michigan |
62 |
19 |
| 28. |
Tulsa |
37 |
--- |
| 29. |
Ole Miss |
31 |
--- |
| 30. |
Gonzaga |
23 |
28 |
SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow Iona University athletics on all social media platforms:
Iona Gaels: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (
Email Updates).
Iona Cross Country/Track: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.