Washington State University Athletics
Men’s Cross Country Team Nationally Ranked
September 20, 2016 | Cross Country
NEW ORLEANS -- The Washington State University men's cross country team is ranked 27th in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) national poll for week two of the season. WSU moved up after receiving votes in the Sept. 12 week one rankings.
In the opening meet of the 2016 season, the WSU men's team upset the nationally-ranked home team Washington at the Sundodger Invitational, held Sept. 17 in Seattle. The Cougars, led by junior Michael William's runner-up finish, captured seven of the top nine places with senior John Whelan, competing unattached, also in the top nine. WSU scored 24 points to No. 8 Washington's 40.
The Cougars were ranked 25th in the 2015 week seven rankings, the first national ranking under then-second year Head Coach Wayne Phipps. WSU had a superb fourth-place finish at the NCAA West Regionals and received an at-large berth to the NCAA Championships where the Cougar men finished 26th out of 31 teams. WSU returns all seven of the men who competed at the 2015 NCAA Championships.
Historically, WSU's men's cross country team has been ranked as high as 10th in the preseason poll of 1998 when the Cougars placed 18th at the NCAA Championships. More recently, WSU was ranked 20th for two weeks in 2009 and fell to 27th at the end of that season but finished 21st at the NCAA Championships.
In the Sept. 19 USTFCCCA West Region Rankings, WSU is fifth, behind Oregon, Stanford, Boise State and Portland. The Cougar women are 12th in the latest West Region rankings. Complete lists can be found at www.ustafccca.org.
The next race for the Cougar harriers will be October 1 at the Washington Invitational at Jefferson Park Golf Course in Seattle.
In the opening meet of the 2016 season, the WSU men's team upset the nationally-ranked home team Washington at the Sundodger Invitational, held Sept. 17 in Seattle. The Cougars, led by junior Michael William's runner-up finish, captured seven of the top nine places with senior John Whelan, competing unattached, also in the top nine. WSU scored 24 points to No. 8 Washington's 40.
The Cougars were ranked 25th in the 2015 week seven rankings, the first national ranking under then-second year Head Coach Wayne Phipps. WSU had a superb fourth-place finish at the NCAA West Regionals and received an at-large berth to the NCAA Championships where the Cougar men finished 26th out of 31 teams. WSU returns all seven of the men who competed at the 2015 NCAA Championships.
Historically, WSU's men's cross country team has been ranked as high as 10th in the preseason poll of 1998 when the Cougars placed 18th at the NCAA Championships. More recently, WSU was ranked 20th for two weeks in 2009 and fell to 27th at the end of that season but finished 21st at the NCAA Championships.
In the Sept. 19 USTFCCCA West Region Rankings, WSU is fifth, behind Oregon, Stanford, Boise State and Portland. The Cougar women are 12th in the latest West Region rankings. Complete lists can be found at www.ustafccca.org.
The next race for the Cougar harriers will be October 1 at the Washington Invitational at Jefferson Park Golf Course in Seattle.
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