Women No. 5, Men No. 25 In XC Preseason Polls

SEATTLE – Coming off a conference title and top-10 national finish, and with six of its top-seven runners returning, the Husky women’s cross country team is again capable of being among the nation’s best. That’s how the voters in the USTFCCCA Preseason Coaches Poll saw it, putting the Huskies at No. 5 in the first national rankings. The Husky men’s team also heads into 2024 with lofty goals and begins in the top-25, getting the No. 25 spot.
 
Washington’s No. 5 national ranking is its highest since the 2019 season. The Huskies won the final Pac-12 Championship last fall and then had the team’s highest NCAA finish since 2011 with an eighth-place finish. UW had three women in the top-60 at nationals: Chloe Foerster (47th), Sophie O’Sullivan (56th), and Julia David-Smith (58th) and all three return this fall.
 
Also back are Ella Borsheim (119th at NCAAs), India Weir (140th at NCAAs), and Tori Herman (210th at NCAAs) and Director Maurica Powell is adding a talented group of transfers including Amina Maatoug of Duke, Maeve Stiles of Penn, Samantha Tran of Michigan, and Claire Yerby of Cal.
 
The Huskies are ranked second among Big Ten teams as Oregon is ranked No. 4.
 
The men’s team, coming in at No. 25, ranks third among Big Ten teams in the national poll. Wisconsin comes in at No. 13, Oregon is 21st, then the Huskies are 25th and Michigan is No. 27.
 
The men will be looking to return to NCAAs after just barely missing the cut last season despite a second-place finish at the final Pac-12 meet.
 
Last year the men had a number of underclassmen in the lineup that could potentially lead the way this year along with a talented group of freshmen and transfers. Back are All-West Region runners Nathan Green, Evan Jenkins, and Jamar Distel. Leo Daschbach returns coming off his best track season and Tyrone Gorze made a big impact as just a true freshman a year ago.
 
Head Coach Andy Powell also has seven redshirt or true freshmen that could suit up for the first time this fall, and Cornell transfer Rhys Hammond could quickly make an impact.
 
Washington has just one small home meet next week before spending the rest of the season running all…