NEW ORLEANS — The University of La Verne men's cross country team opens the season ranked No. 5 in the preseason regional rankings released today by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Junior Bryan Hayes, who notched the program's top individual finish ever with a 67th-place performance at last year's NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, will anchor the squad. Hayes was also named to First Team All-SCIAC and All-West Region last year.
La Verne also brings back three runners who competed at the NCAA West Region Championships. Sophomore Tanner Long recorded his personal best (26 minutes, 01.01 seconds) at the regional meet last year and earned All-Region honors along with Hayes. Seniors Jayden Earlywine and Ted Breslow finished 70th and 80th, respectively.
The SCIAC is well represented in the regional rankings. Pomona-Pitzer tops the region, followed by Occidental at No. 2 and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at No. 4. Whittier is ranked eighth.
NCAA Division III West Regional Championships will be held at Salem, Ore. on Saturday, November 15.
USTFCCCA Regional Cross Country Rankings are determined either subjectively by a single member coach or a panel of member coaches (in the Central and Mideast) in each respective region. The regional representative is tasked with weighing returning team strength with current-season results in determining predicted team finishes at the NCAA Regional Championships.
The Leopards open their season at the Redlands Invitational on Saturday, August 30.
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