DENVER - The Western Athletic Conference announced its men's and women's cross country pre-championship coaches polls, as voted on by the eight head coaches in the league, who were unable to vote for their own teams. Utah Valley was selected as the favorite to win both the men's and women's championships.
On the men's side, Utah Valley will be looking for a fourth-straight WAC Championship as the clear favorite in the pre-championship poll. The Wolverines received six first-place votes and the maximum 36 points overall. UMKC was selected second with 28 points, including the remaining first-place vote. NM State and host Seattle U each received 24 points to finish in a dead heat for third place. Grand Canyon picked up 17 points and UT Rio Grande Valley with 12 points grab the fifth and sixth spots and Chicago State rounds out the poll with six points.
The Utah Valley women were also a clear favorite to earn the conference title as the Wolverine women earned six first-place votes and 48 points overall. NM State was second with 38 total points. Host Seattle U used a first-place vote to collect 33 points and edge out by Grand Canyon and UT Rio Grande Valley, who tied for fourth with 32 points. UMKC is predicted sixth with 21 points, followed by CSU Bakersfield (13) and Chicago State (7).
The 2016 Western Athletic Conference cross country championships will take place on Saturday, Oct. 29 at Jefferson Park Golf Course in Seattle.
2016 Pre-Championship Men's Cross Country Coaches' Poll
| Rank |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
Utah Valley (6) |
36 |
| 2. |
UMKC (1) |
28 |
| 3. |
NM State |
24 |
|
Seattle U |
24 |
| 5. |
Grand Canyon |
17 |
| 6. |
UT Rio Grande Valley |
12 |
| 7. |
Chicago State |
6 |
2016 Pre-Championship Women's Cross Country Coaches' Poll
| Rank |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
Utah Valley (6) |
48 |
| 2. |
NM State |
38 |
| 3. |
Seattle U (1) |
33 |
| 4. |
Grand Canyon |
32 |
|
UT Rio Grande Valley (1) |
32 |
| 6. |
UMKC |
21 |
| 7. |
CSU Bakersfield |
13 |
| 8. |
Chicago State |
7 |