Western Washington men's team moves to #10 in latest USTFCCCA national harrier poll...


NEW ORLEANS--The Western Washington University men's cross country team moved up one spot to number ten in the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll released Wednesday.

Adams State’s men and Augustana (S.D.)’s women are still the top-ranked teams in the country in NCAA Division II cross country according to the latest national rankings conducted by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). For most, conference championships are just ten days away.


The Vikings still trail GNAC conference rival Alaska Anchorage in the poll, as UAA is ranked #7 nationally.


On the women's side, the Seattle Pacific Falcons, who were idle last weekend are ranked #24, dropping four spots, while Western Washington drops from #23 to #31 in this week's poll.


Two schools from the GNAC are ahead of Seattle Pacific and Western Washington in the national poll--Alaska Anchorage at #5, and Simon Fraser at #9.


The Falcons are in action Saturday at the Emerald City Invitational at Woodland Park, hosted by Seattle University, in their final tune-up before the GNAC Championships on October 20th on the campus of Western Oregon University in Monmouth.


The USTFCCCA national rankings are available here.


THURMOND NAMED THROWS COACH AT ILLINOIS STATE


While on our trip to Athens to cover the We Run Athens 10k last week, we neglected to pass along word that former UW assistant throws coach Reedus Thurmond was named to the same position at Illinois State University in Normal, IL.


According to the release from Illinois State, Thurmond joins the staff after spending the last year as a private coach, coaching his wife, Aretha, along with notable names such as Mart Israel, Rashaud Scott and Kimery Hern. Aretha is a three-time Olympian and five-time U.S Champion in the discus, holding a personal-best mark of 216-01. Israel took fourth-place in the discus at the 2011 World Championships, while All-American Hern was a 2012 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials qualifier. Scott, a former NCAA Champion, earned a top-10 world ranking under Thurmond's direction.

NOTE:  The USTFCCCA contributed to this report.

Comments