Bridgeport, W.Va. – The Mountain East Conference released their Preseason Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Coaches’ Polls on Monday afternoon with the Hilltoppers picked in the top-5 of both polls. The WLU men were selected fourth with a total of 69 points and the women were selected fifth with a total of 64 points.

The West Liberty men’s cross country team recorded four top-3 finishes a year ago and ended the 2022 season with a fourth place finish at the Mountain East Conference Championship and an eighth place finish at the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional. Phillip White is the lone returning all-conference member for WLU, as he earned Second Team All-MEC and earned a career-best 9.5K time of 31:25.8 at the regional meet. Other runners to watch include Robert Allen and Brody Cermark who both competed in all six meets last season.

The West Liberty women’s cross country team recorded three top-5 finishes a year ago, including winning the Muskingum Invitational. The Hilltoppers also finished fifth at the Mountain East Conference Championship and 18th at the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional in 2022. WLU’s top two runners at regionals last season, Hannah Kemp and Shania Keene, return for their graduate and senior seasons. Last year Kemp opened the season with a first place finish at the Bethany Invitational and followed it up with two more top-5 finishes during the season. Keene earned a top-5 finish at the Muskingum Invitational and then ran a career-best 6K time of 25:14.4 at the Ed Winrow Invitational. Other returners to watch include Morgan Lesnansky and Ally Hicks, who both competed in all six meets last season.