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Sept. 5, 2007
After finishing second at last year's NCAA meet, Amherst is a unanimous pick as the top Division III women's cross country team heading into the 2007 season, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced today. Amherst received seven of the eight first-place votes in the USTFCCCA preseason poll. Amherst is followed in the top five by Calvin, Washington (Mo.), Williams and Grinnell. Luther and Tufts tied for the sixth spot, with SUNY Geneseo, College of New Jersey and Dickinson rounding out the top 10. Middlebury edged Amherst 144-145 at last year's NCAA Division III Championships. Amherst returns all but one of its scorers from last year's team, including Heather Wilson and Kim Partee, the seventh and 11th individual finishers at last year's NCAA meet. Defending NCAA champion Middlebury is tied for 23rd in the preseason rankings. Second-ranked Calvin placed third at last year's NCAA meet, five points behind Middlebury. Calvin's top returnee is senior Christina Overbeck, sixth at last year's NCAA Championships. Sarah Zerzan of Willamette is the defending NCAA individual champion, winning last year's race by 20 seconds over Dickinson's Cait Bradley. With Zerzan and Bradley returning for the 2007 season, Dickinson is 10th in the preseason poll, and Willamette is 14th. The Division III men's and women's cross country rankings are determined by a committee comprised of coaches representing the eight different regions of the country. The men and women have different representatives on the ranking committees. Calvin is ranked No. 1 in the preseason men's poll. USTFCCCA Division III women's cross country poll
1. Amherst (7)
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