Cross Country Teams Place Second in ECC Preseason Polls

8/25/2014 4:07:00 PM

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (Aug. 25, 2014) - Both the LIU Post men's and women's cross country squads have been slotted second in the 2014 East Coast Conference Preseason Poll, released Monday, despite the Pioneers winning both titles last season. Additionally, the league's coaches voted senior Joseph Lasher (Seaford, N.Y.) as the ECC Men's Preseason Runner of the Year.
 
Lasher, a two-time All-Conference selection, finished second at last year's East Coast Conference Championship meet with a time of 25:28.62. He was named to the USTFCCCA All-Northeast Region squad in 2013 and recorded a 14th-place finish (32:25.20) at the NCAA Division II East Regional Championships.
 
The top preseason men's and women's honors went to Roberts Wesleyan. Its men's squad narrowly surpassed the Pioneers (67 points) by three tallies. Placing third was Molloy, which held its own with 55 points and one first-place vote. St. Thomas Aquinas ranked fourth with 51 points.
 
For the women, the Pioneers fell eight points shy of the top spot to Roberts Wesleyan (86 points, six first-place votes). St. Thomas Aquinas finished a strong third with 70 points, while Daemen tallied a pair of first-place votes and 69 points to come in fourth. Also receiving first-place votes were Molloy and NYIT, which were fifth and tied for sixth, respectively.
 
The LIU Post men's and women's cross country teams begin their season next Saturday (Sept. 6) at the Fordham Fiasco with the LIU Post Invitational to follow on Sept. 13.