Sept. 5, 2007

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The 2007 WCC Preseason Coaches Poll came out Tuesday, and Santa Clara was picked by the coaches to finish 4th in the conference for the men's and women's cross country teams. Once again, Portland tops the polls in both men's and women's, receiving all the first place votes available.

Last year had a disappointing ending to a season that started out with high hopes. In the WCC Championship last season the men finished 3rd and the women were 4th. This year however, the Broncos are off to a great start, sweeping the USF Invitational as a team and also boasting the top individual runners for the race, Michael Delaurenti and Adriane Puetz.

Head coach Tom Service has been extremely pleased with his team's progression this year, specifically the control with which they have been running.

Melissa Conlin, Gillian Fitch, Whitney Porter, and Veronica Vazquez all had great races for the women's team at the USF Invitational, and the team's top returning runner, Annie Murphy-Hagan, did not run.

For the men's team, Alex Harkins, Christopher Mosier, A.J. Blumel, Robert Reid, and Michael Hannon all finished in the top 12.

The team has a great mix of experience and youth and will try to capitalize on the strong start and take that momentum all the way to the WCC Championships.

The 2007 WCC Men's and Women's Cross Country Championship will take place on October 27 at the Crystal Springs Cross Country Course in Belmont, CA.