GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- With the 2012 cross country season set to begin this week, the Big Sky Conference has released its annual preseason coaches poll.
Northern Arizona has won the last five conference titles and was the unanimous pick to repeat once again this year.
North Dakota, in its first year in the Big Sky, was tabbed ninth. UND placed fifth at the Great West Conference Championship last season and returns six letterwinners from that squad.
Voting was calculated by each team receiving 11 points for a first place
vote, 10 points for a second place vote, etc. Coaches are allowed to
vote for their respective teams. Below are the final results with the
number of first place votes in parenthesis.
The 2012 season starts Friday, Aug. 31 with six teams in action and Saturday, Sept. 1 with three teams competing. UND will open on Friday at North Dakota State's Bison Invitational.
School, Points (1st-place votes)
Northern Arizona, 121 (11)
Weber State, 106
Montana State, 96
Sacramento State, 76
Southern Utah, 75
Montana, 68
Idaho State, 56
Eastern Washington, 55
North Dakota, 29
Northern Colorado, 22
Portland State, 22
