Spartans Picked Third in SSC Men's Cross Country Poll

MELBOURNE, Fla. – Sunshine State Conference men's cross country coaches name Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as the preseason favorite in 2022, tabbing the University of Tampa third. The Eagles are expected to win a third straight SSC title after receiving 33 points and five first-place votes in the ranking.

Saint Leo University places second in the voting with 31 points and the final two first-place votes. The Lions look to hoist their first trophy since 2019. The University of Tampa lands in third with 26 points, while Florida Southern College takes up the middle of the poll with 24 points. Lynn University (12 points), Palm Beach Atlantic University (12 points), and Nova Southeastern University (9 points) occupy the final three positions in the slate.

Last season, Embry-Riddle finished with 46 team points to capture the program's third SSC championship, the second consecutive. Three Eagle runners finished Top-10, with Ryan Szklany finishing a team-best third-place. Saint Leo placed second with 50 points and three Top-5 finishers, while Florida Southern came in third with 55 points thanks to three runners within the Top-8. FSC's Mason Jones repeated as the SSC Cross Country Individual Champion by finishing the 8,000-meter race with a time of 24:25.79.

Embry-Riddle will host the 2022 SSC Men's & Women's Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 5th, in Daytona Beach. NCAA Division II regional competition will take place on Saturday, November 19th. The men's national championship will be held at Chamber's Bay in University Place, Washington, on Friday, December 2nd.

Below are the full results of the 2022 SSC preseason coaches' poll. Coaches cannot vote for their teams (points: 6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).

2022 SSC MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON COACHES POLL

Previous SSC Men's Cross Country Polls