OU Men Ranked in the Preseason Poll

NORMAN, Okla. – With the start of the 2014 season four days away, the University of Oklahoma men's cross country team has been ranked 28^th in the Coaches Preseason National poll released by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association today.

Earlier this month, the OU men were ranked 21^st by Flotrack, a national cross country/track and field website.

The Sooner men were also ranked fourth in the preseason regional poll. That poll features seven of the 10 Big 12 teams. OU returns seven lettermen from the 2013 team after losing only one runner who lettered. The OU men finished fourth in the NCAA Midwest Regional after finishing fourth in the Big 12.

Among the returnees is senior Abbabiya Simbassa, who earned All Region honors after finishing 13^th in the 2013 regional meet. He also earned All-Big 12 honors after finishing eighth. For that finish, he was named the Big 12 Men's Newcomer of the Year as the highest finishing newcomer after transferring to OU last year from Iowa Central Community College. Junior Brandon Doughty returns as well. He finished ninth at the 2013 Big 12 and also earned All-Big 12 honors.

The Sooner women return six letterwinners, all sophomores, as OU once again has a young team. The difference from 2013 to 2014 is, while young, many of the runners competed in nearly every meet a year ago.

OU opens the 2014 season Saturday at the Hurricane Invitational. That's the first of four regular season meets for OU before the Big 12 Championships on Nov. 1 and the NCAA Midwest Regional on Nov. 14. The NCAA Championships for cross country are scheduled Nov. 22 in Terra Haute, Ind.