Posted: Aug 16, 2019

Men’s Cross Country Picked As Preseason Favorites To Win 2019 NECC Championship

MANSFIELD, Mass. – Elms College has been picked to win the 2019 NECC Men's Cross Country title after collecting 22 points, including two first place votes, in the 2019 NECC Preseason Coaches Poll. Led by head coach Tyler Raymond, Elms will return two all-conference runners from a season ago, Ricky Elmer(Chicopee, Mass.) and Donald Cianciolo (Waterbury, Conn.) Elmer finished fourth at last year's championship, with a time of 29:50.00, to earn NECC Rookie of the Year honors, as well as first team All-NECC accolades, while Cianciolo clocked in at 31:40.00 to finish twelfth and land a second team nod.

Defending NECC Champions Dean College landed in second, with 21 points and the majority of first place votes, with four. The Bulldogs will be under the direction of second-year head coach Joe Cabral, and will be returning two top-ten finishers from the 2018 NECC Championship, Ryan Glynn (Abington, Mass.) and Ross Rubin (Annadale, Va.). Glynn finished at 29:46.00, while Rubin finished at 29:58.00. Both were named first team All-NECC for their efforts.

Eastern Nazarene College was picked to finish third in their second year in the league, tallying 13 total points. Led by first-year head coach Kylie Waldroop, Eastern Nazarene returns four runners from last season. Robert Gorman (Ellington, Conn.) headlines the veteran group after claiming All-NECC second team honors last fall with a 14th-place finish at the NECC Championships.

Mitchell College and New England College tied for the fourth slot, collecting 12 points apiece. First year head coach Chad Johnson will lead a young Mariner squad, while New England College head coach Colton Ham returns for his second year at the helm for the Pilgrims.

Lesley University closes out the 2019 NECC Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll in the sixth spot with 10 points.

2019 NECC Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll