NEW ORLEANS -- The Christopher Newport men's cross country team will kick off the 2022 campaign as one of the top programs in the country as the Captains were slotted 35th in the USTFCCCA National Preseason Coaches Poll, which was released on Wednesday afternoon by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
The 2022 squad is the first cross country team at Christopher Newport to earn a spot in the national preseason rankings since the 2018 crew opened the year ranked 25th in the country.
Along with the Captains, fellow Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference member UC Santa Cruz was listed 17th in the preseason poll. Meanwhile, Christopher Newport was one of three programs from the South Region to receive the national recognition, joining No. 11 Lynchburg and No. 20 Emory.
Under the guidance of head coach
Tyler Wingard, Christopher Newport welcomes back an impressive collection of veterans from last year's team, which placed third at the NCAA South Regionals. Four of the seven runners from the 2021 Regional Championships are back on the roster, including several decorated standouts.
Among the veterans on the 2022 squad,
Daniel Ferrante and
Nathanael Ferrante both earned All-Region honors last year after placing in the top-20 at the South competition. Meanwhile,
Sam Koltisko and reigning All-Conference honoree
Nick Tolarchyk also added top-50 finishes at the regional meet.
Additionally, this year's team features
John Vogel, who was named the Virginia State Indoor and Outdoor Track Rookie of the Year, along with nine other collegiate veterans and five freshmen.
Christopher Newport will open the 2022 season on September 3 with the Spider Alumni Open in Mechanicsville, Virginia.
---ISH---
