BYU women ranked No. 1 in USTFCCCA cross country preseason coaches poll

NEW ORLEANS – The BYU women’s and men’s cross country teams were ranked No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, when the USTFCCCA released its national preseason coaches poll on Tuesday.

BYU women’s cross country topped the national poll with 322 points and enters the 2021 season as the reigning NCAA Division I National Champions. The Cougars were the only team from the West Coast Conference ranked in the coaches’ poll, while WCC foes Portland and San Francisco were listed as receiving votes.

READ MORE: Diljeet Taylor named BYU women’s cross country head coach

Meanwhile, NC State, a team many believe will be the main threat to BYU this season, earned two first-place votes from the panel and will enter the season ranked No. 2 in the poll.

The Wolfpack finished runner-up to the Cougars at the 2020 NCAA Championships, welcome back a loaded squad that includes three All-Americans in Hannah Steelman (5th), Kelsey Chmiel (9th), and Katelyn Tuohy (24th). 

Coming in as the No. 3 ranked team is Stanford, with one first-place vote, while New Mexico is ranked No. 4 and fifth-ranked is Michigan State.

Rounding out the top 10 are Arkansas at No. 6, followed by Alabama, Colorado, Minnesota, and Washington.

This season BYU women’s cross country will compete in meets hosted by two teams ranked in the preseason poll. The Cougars will take on No. 18 Florida State at the FSU XC Open in Tallahassee, Florida on Friday, Sep. 17, and No. 29 Wisconsin at the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, Wisconsin on Friday, Oct. 15.

Women’s cross country ranked No. 1 in the Mountain Region while the men’s team ranked No. 2 behind perennial power Northern Arizona.

BYU is set to begin the 2021 cross country season at the Autumn Classic at Timpanogos Country Club on Saturday, Sep. 11.

Click here for the full rankings

USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll | Top-10