OU Men's XC Jump Into National Poll

NORMAN - The Oklahoma men's cross country team earned a spot in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association top-30 poll, entering the poll at No. 21 this week. The Sooners made the jump from unranked in the preseason poll and through the first two weeks to 21st after a strong showing at the Panorama Farms Invitational last weekend. OU finished as the runner-up to host and ninth-ranked Virginia on Sept. 26.

The Sooner men outran 13 other teams in Charlottesville, including then 18th-ranked Furman and No. 20 Eastern Kentucky. Both teams still remain on the top-30 list.

"It's nice to be recognized and to see ourselves in the national poll. I know it's still very early and we have a lot of work to do," said Jason Dunn, associate head coach for cross country. "I'd feel much better about finishing at that place or higher at nationals.

"We want to just focus on the things we can control and get better each week," he added.
The Sooners are one of three Big 12 teams currently ranked, trailing No. 6 Oklahoma State and ahead of No. 22 Iowa State.

"Texas is very good as well," Dunn said. "I think the Big 12 Championships will be a really competitive field. It will be really close, but we want to put ourselves in a position to win."

The men also moved up to No. 3 in the Midwest Region rankings this week after beginning the season ranked sixth.

"It's nice to have validation of our work and to have other coaches in the country recognize us," Dunn said. "Still, we talked in the beginning about not being overly concerned about the polls, where we rank or things are outside of our control directly."

Last season OU men were listed in the top-30 poll for six consecutive weeks. The highest ranking was 20th.

The Sooner men will return to competition on Oct. 16 in Madison, Wis. at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational. For more information on OU cross country go to SoonerSports.com.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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