Sept. 12, 2008
AUBURN - Auburn's men's and women's cross country teams were picked to finish third and sixth, respectively, in the announcement of the 2008 SEC Cross Country Coaches Poll by the league office.
In a vote by the league head coaches, the Auburn men received one first-place vote and had 31 points. Alabama captured seven first-place votes for a total of 14 points and Arkansas tallied two first-place votes for 19 points. Florida and Tennessee round out the top five on the men's side with 37 and 46 points, respectively.
"Having the men being ranked third in the SEC shows how far we have come in the past couple of years," head coach Peter Watson said. "We know these are only preseason rankings and we have much work to do in order for us to achieve our goals."
On the women's side, Auburn is predicted to finish sixth and had 68 points in the voting. Arkansas received nine first-place votes and tallied 13 total points for the top spot. Florida received two first-place votes and posted 25 points for second-place. Tennessee also earned a first-place vote and recorded 31 points for a third-place finish. Georgia placed fourth with 39 points and Kentucky placed fifth with 61 points.
"The women finished sixth last year and are ranked sixth this fall going into the season," Watson said. "We return our entire team from last fall and they are now a year older, a year stronger and they have been to an SEC championship before. As always, we want to perform above the rankings so we will work hard and see what happens."
Points for the men's poll were awarded on a 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 basis, while the women's poll was awarded on a 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11 basis.
The 2008 SEC Cross Country Championships, hosted by Mississippi State University in Starkville, Miss., will be held Nov. 3.
2008 SEC Cross Country Coaches' Poll
(First-Place Votes in Parentheses)
MEN
1. Alabama (7) 14
2. Arkansas (2) 19
3. Auburn (1) 31
4. Florida 37
5. Tennessee 46
6. Mississippi State 56
7. Georgia 68
8. Kentucky 80
9. LSU 82
10. Ole Miss 85
11. Vanderbilt 97
WOMEN
1. Arkansas (9) 13
2. Florida (2) 25
3. Tennessee (1) 31
4. Georgia 39
5. Kentucky 61
6. Auburn 68
6. Vanderbilt 68
8. Alabama 80
9. Mississippi State 83
10. LSU 103
11. South Carolina 104
12. Ole Miss 117