LOCK HAVEN, Pa. —- The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference’s Shippensburg University was selected as the favorite in the 2023 Men’s Cross Country Preseason Poll as voted on by the league’s head coaches, receiving 12 first place votes.
The Raiders finished second overall at the 2022 PSAC Championships and are looking to be competitive for the 2023 title this upcoming season. The team has two top-10 returners, Garret Quinan and Hayden Hunt, who finished sixth and seventh, respectively, to both earn First-Team All-PSAC Honors for their top-15 finish in the meet.
Finishing third in the 2022 PSAC Championship meet and taking second in the 2023 Preseason Poll was Slippery Rock. The Rock has two top-10 returners, Troy Hart (who finished fifth) and Ethan Brentham (eighth.) Slippery Rock is looking for another top-3 finish this season.
This year's third place Preseason Poll pick, Lock Haven, took home fifth place in last year's PSAC Championship meet. The Bald Eagles will likely challenge again, returning last year's ninth-place finisher, Chris Hine, and are looking for another top-5 finish.
California (Pa.) and IUP were selected fourth and fifth in the poll. California placed fourth overall in the 2022 Championship with a top-3 finish from Jonathan Thrush. IUP took home sixth place and returns this year with two Second Team All-PSAC honorees consisting of Joel Beckwith, and Marco Cardone.
Those teams are followed by Kutztown and Gannon in sixth and seventh place in the 2023 poll. Rounding out the top-10 selections were East Stroudsburg, Bloomsburg and Edinboro.
Concluding the poll was West Chester, Pitt-Johnstown, Mercyhurst, Mansfield, Seton Hill, and Shepherd.
The full results are listed below:
2023 PSAC Men’s Cross Country Preseason Poll (# of first-place votes)
- Shippensburg (12)
- Slippery Rock (3)
- Lock Haven
- IUP
- California
- Kutztown
- Gannon
- East Stroudsburg
- Bloomsburg
- Edinboro
- West Chester
- Pitt-Johnstown (1)
- Mercyhurst
- Mansfield
- Seton Hill
- Shepherd