BUFFALO — The Canisius men’s cross country team was picked to finish third, and the women’s team was slotted to place fifth according to the 2016 MAAC Preseason Cross Country Poll, released Friday by the conference office. Both the men’s and women’s preseason polls were voted on by the conference’s 11 head coaches.
On the men’s side, Canisius earned 94 points, which ranked third behind preseason favorite Iona and Marist. Iona, the MAAC men’s cross country champions for the last 24 years, earned 121 points and 11 first-place votes. Marist ranks second with 101 points, followed by Canisius. Manhattan and Monmouth tied for fourth with 79 points, while Siena (76), Quinnipiac (56) and Rider (44) were chosen to place sixth through eighth. Fairfield was picked ninth with 41 points, while Niagara (24) and Saint Peter’s (11) rounded out the poll.
Defending MAAC women’s cross country champion Quinnipiac was chosen to finish first in the women’s poll. The Bobcats earned 116 points and six first-place votes. Iona was picked to place second thanks to 112 points and five first-place votes, with Monmouth (95), Marist (87) and Canisius (69) rounding out the top-five. Rider was picked sixth with 68 points, followed by a tie for seventh between Manhattan and Siena. Fairfield was slotted ninth with 32 points, while Niagara (24) and Saint Peter’s (11) round out this year’s preseason predictions.
The Canisius men’s team placed third in the 2015 MAAC Cross Country Championship, the women’s team taking sixth-place in the 11-team field. The 2016 MAAC Cross Country Championships will be held Oct. 29, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Golden Griffins will officially open the 2016 campaign Friday, Sept. 2, when Canisius hosted the annual Little Three Championships at Delaware Park in Buffalo.
RELATED: NU cross country teams place 10th in MAAC poll
