HUNTSVILLE – The Liberty men’s and women’s cross country teams loom as the favorites when they take the starting line Saturday at the Conference USA Cross Country Championships in Huntsville’s John Hunt Park.
The races are hosted by Middle Tennessee State and the Huntsville Sports Commission. The women’s 6K steps off at 9:04 a.m. and the men’s 8K is at 10:04 a.m.
On the women’s side, Liberty came in as the preseason favorite, leading the conference with nine first-place votes. The Flames have been led by sophomore Allie Zealand in all four regular season meets, each in which she has finished inside the top five.
Middle Tennessee’s women’s program started as the preseason runners-up, also receiving three first-place votes. Kennesaw State and Jax State are also two women’s teams to look out for this weekend. Despite finishing third and seventh respectively in the preseason poll, the Owls (11th) and Gamecocks (15th) both currently top Middle Tennessee in the women’s South Region rankings following their most recent meets.
Among the men’s programs, MTSU and Liberty entered the season as co-favorites. The Flames’ men’s program won the championship last year, completing Liberty’s conference sweep.
Middle Tennessee has seen a lot of success so far this season, finishing as a top three team in three of its four regular season meets. The team is currently ranked fifth in the men’s South Region and has even received votes in the national poll.
Kennesaw State entered the season ranked third in the preseason poll and sits at 13th in the men’s South Region top 15, one place behind Jacksonville State .
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