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MWC Cross Country Polls Released CSU and BYU are favored to win this year's MWC titles in men's and women's cross country, respectively.
Aug. 31, 2001 Colorado Springs, Colo. - Colorado State and BYU are favored to win this year's Mountain West Conference titles in men's and women's cross country, respectively, in a vote by the league's coaches. Colorado State won a close vote on the men's side, as only two votes separated the top three spots. The Rams notched 22 points to capture first place, while Air Force finished second with 21 points and BYU claimed third place with 20 points. The top three teams received two first place votes apiece. Utah (13 points) was picked to finish fourth in the league this season, followed by New Mexico (8 points) in the fifth spot and Wyoming sixth (6 points). For the second straight season, BYU gathered a score of 49 points (seven first place votes) as it was picked to win the women's championship for the third time in as many years. Colorado State was the only other team to receive a first place vote (coaches' can't vote for their own team) as it totaled 42 points in claiming second place. Air Force claimed the third spot with 34 points followed by Utah (32 points) and New Mexico (22 points) in fourth and fifth place, respectively. San Diego State settled in at sixth place with 19 points, while UNLV (14 points) and Wyoming (12 points) rounded out the poll. Junior Reagan Robb and senior Joshua Lybarger will lead the way for the Colorado State men as they attempt to wrestle the conference title away from two-time champion BYU. The BYU women will look to continue its reign as one of the nation's top teams after winning the national title in 1999 and finishing second in last year's NCAA Championship. They will be led by second team All-American Tara Northcutt, who placed 18th in the NCAA Championships last season as well as earning first team all-MWC honors for her third place finish in the conference championships.
Preseason Men's Cross Country Poll Preseason Women's Cross Country Poll
Pl. Team(1st Place Votes) Pts. Pl. Team (1st Place Votes) Pts.
1. Colorado State (2) 22 1. BYU (7) 49
2. Air Force (2) 21 2. Colorado State (1) 42
3. BYU (2) 20 3. Air Force (0) 34
4. Utah (0) 13 4. Utah (0) 32
5. New Mexico (0) 8 5. New Mexico (0) 22
6. Wyoming (0) 6 6. San Diego State (0) 19
7. UNLV (0) 14
8. Wyoming (0) 12
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