Spartans Picked Third in SSC Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll

MELBOURNE, Fla. – Sunshine State Conference men's cross country coaches named Florida Southern as the preseason favorite in 2024 as the University of Tampa was chosen third. The Moccasins are expected to repeat as SSC champs after receiving 64 points and eight first-place votes in the ranking.
 
Embry-Riddle ranks second in the voting with 55 points and the final first-place vote. Tampa lands in third with 52 points, Nova Southeastern is fourth in the poll with 39 points, and Palm Beach Atlantic lands in the middle with 36 points. Lynn (28 points), Barry (19 points), Florida Tech (19 points), and Saint Leo (12 points) make up the bottom half of the poll.

Saint Leo reinstated men's cross country in 2024, ending a one-year hiatus. From 2014 to 2019, the Lions won all four of the program's SSC titles. Saint Leo boasts six SSC Runner of the Year awards and seven individual conference champions.
 
Last season, Florida Southern finished with 28 team points to capture the program's 18th SSC championship and first since 2017. The Moccasin's top five runners all finished in the Top-10, with two of their runners finishing in the Top-5. Embry-Riddle finished second, defeating third-place Tampa by six points. The Eagles placed three runners in the Top-10, including the Individual Champion. The Spartans had two runners finish in the Top-10, and all five were in the Top-15. 

ERAU's Brendon Shea earned the title of SSC Cross Country Individual Champion after completing the 8,000-meter race at Lakeland's Hollway Park in 24:49.7. Shea is the second Eagle to win the SSC title, following in Shaun Bullock's 2018 footsteps.

Florida Southern earned passage to the NCAA National Championship with a second-place finish at the South Regional. ERAU's Tanner Rosolino led all SSC runners at the regional with a sixth-place finish. The Moccasins ended the season with a 25th-place result at the championship. Christian Giller was the top runner for the Moccasins with an 84th-place finish.
 
Nova Southeastern will host the 2024 SSC Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships on Friday, October 25th, at Holloway Park in Lakeland. NCAA Division II regional competition will be on Saturday, November 9th, at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama. The National Championship is on Saturday, November 23rd, at Arcade Creek Cross Country Course in Sacramento, California.

Below are the full results of the 2024 SSC preseason coaches' poll. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their teams (points: 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).

2024 SSC MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON COACHES POLL

See Also: SSC All-Americans | All-SSC Teams | SSC Champions

Previous SSC Men's Cross Country Polls