ABILENE – The ACU men's cross country team moved all the way from No. 10 in the NCAA Division II South Central pre-season rankings to No. 1 in the latest rankings, according to the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association.
The new rankings were released Tuesday, just a few days before the Wildcats head to Stillwater, Okla., to take on the field at the Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree. East Central (Okla.) is ranked No. 2 in the region, followed by Fort Hays State at No. 3, Tarleton State at No. 4 and Central Missouri at No. 5.
The second ten is led by Eastern New Mexico at No. 6, followed by Missouri Southern at No. 7, Pittsburg State at No. 8, Emporia State at No. 9 and Cameron at No. 10.
The Wildcats entered the season ranked No. 10 in the region after a disappointing end to the 2009 season that saw them finish 10th at the regional meet and fail to qualify for the national championship meet for the first time since 1997.
But the Wildcats have enjoyed a very successful start to the 2010 season with a second-place finish at the Baylor Bear Invitational on Sept. 3 and a team championship at the Central Missouri Mule Run on Sept. 10. Their strong start also has them ranked No. 18 in the country in the latest rankings after not being ranked in the pre-season poll.
Senior
Amos Sang has picked up right where he left off last spring on the track as he has won both individual titles at Baylor and Central Missouri. His teammate,
Cleophas Tanui, has been just as strong with a third-place finish at Baylor and a runner-up finish at Central Missouri.
After this weekend's run in Oklahoma, the Wildcats will be off for a week before returning to action on Saturday, Oct. 9, when they host the ACU Naimadu Pre-Conference meet at Nelson Park. That will be the team's last competition until Nov. 6 when ACU hosts the Lone Star Conference championship meet at Nelson Park.
