Appalachian State men’s cross country picked to finish first in Sun Belt

The Sun Belt released the 2024 men’s preseason cross country coaches poll on Wednesday. The App State men’s team is projected to finish first and defend its 2023 title with 80 points and eight first-place votes.

The Mountaineer men won their first Sun Belt title since 2019 last season, scoring a combined 28 points, their lowest total at the championship meet since 2013. App State posted four of the top six finishes and five of the top 13, edging out last year’s Coaches’ Poll favorite, Arkansas State, by 19 team points. In his first season as the men’s distance coach, Brad Herbster was named the SBC Coach of the Year for the Mountaineers’ success.

Oliver Wilson-Cook, a three-time SBC Runner of the Week last fall, finished second overall with an 8-kilometer time of 24:40.4, while Calbert Guest and Dwayne Lillie, both returning this season, finished third (24:46.3) and fourth (24:53.6), respectively. The trio earned first-team All-SBC honors for their performances. Also returning this season is Garrett Bivens, who finished sixth at the championships with an 8-kilometer time of 25:05.0, earning second-team All-Conference honors. Jonah Bird earned third-team All-Conference honors, adding five points to the Mountaineers’ tally with a time of 25:42.7, finishing 13th overall.

App State will hold three home meets at Don Kennedy Trails in State Farm this season, starting Aug. 30 with the Covered Bridge Open. The Covered Bridge Open will begin at 10 a.m. with the women’s 5K, followed by the men’s 6K at 10:40 a.m. The Mountaineers will also host the Firetower Project Run on Sept. 13 and the Mountaineer Feud on Oct. 18.

The 2024 Sun Belt Cross Country Championships are scheduled for November 1 in Foley, Alabama.

2024 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Cross Country Preseason Coaches Survey
1. Application Status (8) – 80 points
2. Arkansas State (1) – 73 points
3. South Alabama – 52 points
T4. Texas State – 50 points
T4. ULM – 50 points
6. Marshall – 35 points
7. Louisiana – 33 points
8. Coastal Carolina – 21 points
9. Troy – 11 points

{Information provided by Appalachian State Athletics}