Louisville MenÂ’s Cross Country Reappears in National Rankings

The Louisville menÂ’s team is No. 26 after placing third at the BIG EAST Championships.

 

November 1, 2011

 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After a strong third-place finish at the BIG EAST Cross Country Championships on Oct. 29 at E.P. ‘Tom’ Sawyer State Park, the University of Louisville men’s cross country team has reappeared in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s poll at No. 26, the New Orleans-based organization announced Tuesday.

 

The Cardinals opened the year ranked 20th in the preseason poll and reached as high as No. 19 in the Sept. 13 poll, the best mark in program history since reaching No. 13 in 2007. The squad appeared in the next two polls, but fell out in the Oct. 4 edition. Louisville was receiving votes in last weekÂ’s poll.

 

Redshirt senior Matt Hughes paced the Cardinal men at the league championships with a third-place finish and all-BIG EAST honors for the second-straight year. Sophomore Tyler Byrne recorded a solid 18th-place showing, while redshirt junior Gordon Dooley (No. 22) and redshirt senior Matt Bruce (No. 24) placed in the top 25.

 

Currently, the BIG EAST and Big Ten each have the most menÂ’s top-30 teams in this weekÂ’s poll with five apiece.

 

Louisville, which is ranked No. 4 in the NCAA Southeast Region, returns to action in two weeks at E.P. `Tom' Sawyer State Park on Nov. 12 for the NCAA Southeast Regional. This marks the third-straight year the course has been home to the meet.

 

For all of the latest information on Louisville cross country and track and field, log on to UofLsports.com, or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team's Twitter account at www.twitter.com/louisvilletrack.

 

USTFCCCA MenÂ’s Cross Country Rankings (Nov. 1, 2011)

Rank    Institution (FPV)      Points    Region               Conference           Last Week

1          Wisconsin (7)            355        Great Lakes        Big Ten                 2

2          Oklahoma State (5)   352        Midwest             Big 12                   1

3          BYU                         326        Mountain            West Coast           3

4          Colorado                  318        Mountain            Pac-12                  6

5          Oklahoma                 312        Midwest             Big 12                   5

6          Stanford                   305        West                  Pac-12                  4

7          Indiana                     286        Great Lakes        Big Ten                 7

8          Portland                   267        West                  West Coast           8

9          Iona                         264        Northeast           Metro Atlantic        10

9          Princeton                  264        Mid-Atlantic        Ivy                        9

11         Texas                       212        South Central      Big 12                   11

12         Northern Arizona       210        Mountain            Big Sky                 13

13         Villanova                  204        Mid-Atlantic        BIG EAST              16

14         NC State                  195        Southeast           ACC                      19

15         Arkansas                  194        South Central      SEC                      15

16         Florida State             172        South                 ACC                      18

17         Oregon                     162        West                  Pac-12                  23

18         Minnesota                160        Midwest             Big Ten                 12

19         Michigan                  145        Great Lakes        Big Ten                 21

20         Eastern Kentucky      137        Southeast           Ohio Valley            17

21         UCLA                       109        West                  Pac-12                  20

22         Columbia                  96          Northeast           Ivy                        28

23         Georgetown              94          Mid-Atlantic        BIG EAST              RV

24         Texas A&M               89          South Central      Big 12                   24

25         North Carolina           60          Southeast           ACC                      30

26         LOUISVILLE            48          Southeast          BIG EAST             RV

27         Tulsa                        43          Midwest             Conference USA    27

28         Ohio State                41          Great Lakes        Big Ten                 26

29         Syracuse                  38          Northeast           BIG EAST              NR

30         Providence               36          Northeast           BIG EAST              14

Others Receiving Votes: Cal Poly 18, Washington State 17, Arizona State 14, Florida 12, New Mexico 10, California 8, Notre Dame 4, Lamar 3, Utah State 1.

 

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For More Information, Contact:

Ira Green, (502) 852-4857

Ira.Green@louisville.edu