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 races.
On the men's side, Utah Valley was selected to win the WAC Championship, receiving 35 points and five first-place votes. Kansas City was selected second with 31 points and the remaining first-place vote. Grand Canyon and host NM State tied for third place with 22 points, followed by Seattle U in fifth with 18 points. UT Rio Grande Valley came in sixth with 13 points, while Chicago State rounds out the poll with six points.
On the women's side, Utah Valley was the favorite to earn the conference title as the Wolverines earned five first-place votes and 47 points overall. Host NM State was picked second with 41 total points and two first-place votes. Seattle U was selected third with 34 points, edging out Kansas City in fourth place with 33 points and the final first-place vote. Grand Canyon was selected to finish fifth with 28 points, while UT Rio Grande Valley was predicted to place sixth with 21 points. CSU Bakersfield (13) and Chicago State (7) round out the poll.
The 2017 WAC Cross Country Championships are this Saturday, Oct. 28, in Las Cruces, N.M., at the NMSU Golf Course. The men's race begins at 9 a.m. (MT), followed by the women's race at 10 a.m. (MT).
2017 Pre-Championship Men's Cross Country Coaches' Poll
| Rank |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
Utah Valley (5) |
35 |
| 2 |
Kansas City (1) |
31 |
| T-3. |
Grand Canyon |
22 |
| T-3 |
NM State |
22 |
| 5 |
Seattle U |
18 |
| 6 |
UT Rio Grande Valley |
13 |
| 7 |
Chicago State |
6 |
2017 Pre-Championship Women's Cross Country Coaches' Poll
| Rank |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
Utah Valley (5) |
47 |
| 2 |
NM State (2) |
41 |
| 3 |
Seattle U |
34 |
| 4 |
Kansas City (1) |
33 |
| 5 |
Grand Canyon |
28 |
| 6 |
UT Rio Grande Valley |
21 |
| 7 |
CSU Bakersfield |
13 |
| 8 |
Chicago State |
7 |