With the 2010 cross country season on the horizon, the league's head coaches have tabbed the Cal Poly men and the UC Santa Barbara women as the favorites to claim the Big West Championship.
The Mustangs were a unanimous selection as the top club, collecting the maximum 64 points. Behind them is UC Davis with 52 points, with UC Santa Barbara rounding out the top three with 42 points. Fourth place belonged to UC Riverside with 40 points, while Long Beach State finished one point behind the Highlanders in fifth. UC Irvine took the sixth position with 26 points, while Cal State Fullerton (17) and Cal State Northridge (8) completed the poll on the men's side.
UCSB won a tight poll on the women's side with 78 points and six first place votes, outlasting UC Davis which collected the final three first place votes on its way to 72 points. Cal Poly came in third with 66 points, with UC Riverside (48) and Long Beach State (46) in fourth and fifth, respectively. UC Irvine came in sixth with 35 points, Cal State Fullerton in seventh with 31 points, while Cal State Northridge (20) and Pacific (9) wrap up the women's preseason poll.
Cal Poly is looking for its eighth consecutive title and 11th overall crown, both the most in Big West history. Mark Conover's club lost some key performers but has reloaded with athletes looking to fill the void. Carl Dargitz leads the pack into 2010, aiming to continue the momentum of a sixth place showing at the '09 league meet. Also returning is Daniel Gonia, who won the individual title at the 2008 Championships and another top 20 finisher at the ‘09 Big West meet in Michael Johnson. The Mustangs also have a bevy of talented youngsters as 13 harriers are listed as true or redshirt freshmen on the roster.
UC Davis has a loaded side ready to challenge Cal Poly’s dominant reign. Jon Peterson is the top returnee for the Aggies, having finished in seventh at last season's Championships. He is joined by Jon Sees, a 12th-place finisher at the '09 league meet, and Matt Sartori, who came in 21st. UCD also has experience in Calvin Thigpen and Pradel as well as a talented group of youngsters ready to hit the ground running for a Big West title.
The UC Santa Barbara women are looking for back-to-back titles after winning the Big West title last season for the first time since 2007. The Gauchos return a solid lineup in Crystal Reed, Amanda Moreno, Breanne Strenkowski, Katie Voigtlander and Liza Hitchner. The quintet were the top five scorers for the '09 UCSB championship club with Reed, Moreno, Strenkowski and Voigtlander all finishing in the top 10. Add in Andrea Jacobs and Megan Petkovic and the Gauchos have seven returnees who finished in the top 30 of the 2009 Big West women’s race.
UC Davis will push UCSB for the top spot with its own lineup of experienced harriers. The Aggie push is led by the return of Sarah Sumpter, the 2009 Big West Athlete of the Year and individual winner at the conference meet. The club can also rely on the talents of Abbey Gallaher and Caitlin Fitzgerald, who recorded top-15 finishes at last season's Championship, as well as Kristina Taylor. UCD also has a deep corps of young runners ready to make their mark at the DI level.
Men's Cross Country Coaches Poll Results
No. School Pts.
1. Cal Poly (8) - 64
2. UC Davis - 52
3. UC Santa Barbara - 42
4. UC Riverside - 40
5. Long Beach State - 39
6. UC Irvine - 26
7. Cal State Fullerton - 17
8. Cal State Northridge - 8
Women's Cross Country Coaches Poll Results
No. School Pts.
1. UC Santa Barbara (6) - 78
2. UC Davis (3) - 72
3. Cal Poly - 66
4. UC Riverside - 48
5. Long Beach State - 46
6. UC Irvine - 35
7. Cal State Fullerton - 31
8. Cal State Northridge - 20
9. Pacific - 9
( ) First-place votes