UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) announced the 2024 Men's and Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll on Thursday (August 29) afternoon.
The Cardinal men accumulated one first-place vote to finish with 73 points and capture the runner-up position behind Grand Valley State who collected the other nine first-place votes to finish eight points ahead of SVSU. Wayne State finished third with 62 points and was three points in front of Michigan Tech in fourth. Parkside rounded out the top five with 44 points.
The women's team tallied 82 points for third behind Grand Valley (100) and Wayne State (86). The Lakers grabbed 10 first-place votes while the Warriors took one. Northern Michigan totaled 73 points to finish ahead of rival Michigan Tech who had 64 points for fifth.
Both Saginaw Valley State University cross country teams are looking to extend streaks for appearances in the NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championship meet.
The Cardinal men's team achieved its second consecutive NCAA Cross Country Championship appearance in 2023. The team returns a veteran cast with 26 returning athletes from that squad led by Corey Bowers, Dominic Suliman, and Jack Lobodzinski, who will be joined by nine new additions to the team this season as they look to extend the NCAA appearance streak to three in a row.
On the women's side, the team looks to extend its current streak of four straight NCAA Cross Country Championship appearances to five in 2024. The Cardinals will lean on 10 returners led by Jenna Picard, Karissa Picard, and Alexis Tracy who are bolstered with eight fresh faces to the team.
The Cardinals kick off the 2024 season with a meet at Northwood on September 7 before heading to Michigan State on September 13. SVSU will compete at home during the Cardinal Classic on September 28 for the first month of competition in the 2024 Fall season.
