Lions Tabbed to finish Fifth in Conference
August 16, 2012ROCK HILL, S.C.—The Mars Hill women’s cross country team was voted to finish fifth in the 2012 Preseason SAC Women’s Cross Country coaches poll. Jessica Viscusi was named preseason all-conference.
The Lions placed fifth in the 2011 Food Lion SAC Cross Country Championship. Viscusi was named to the 2012 Preseason All-SAC First Team. Voting for the all-conference teams is based on last season’s results at the conference championship meet.
Viscusi was a second team all-conference performer last season, and was named to the SAC All-Freshman team a year ago. Over the course of the season, Viscusi improved her time by a full two minutes.
Mars Hill opens the season at the Eye Opener event in Spartanburg, S.C. on Aug. 31.
After winning the last two Food Lion SAC Women’s Cross Country Championships, Anderson was voted to win the conference. The Trojans received five first-place votes in the poll. Three Trojans were named to the preseason All-SAC team.
Just behind the Trojans was Wingate, which earned five first-place votes. The Bulldogs placed three runners on the preseason All-Conference team, led by first-teamers Brianna Stevens and Keeley Wood.
No. 3 in the poll is 2011 SAC Championship runner-up Lenoir-Rhyne. The Bears face a tall task in 2012 in replacing All-American and two-time individual conference champion Kate Griewisch, but do return two members of the preseason All-SAC Team.
Carson-Newman is No. 4 in the poll, followed by No. 5 Mars Hill, No. 6 Lincoln Memorial and No. 7 Brevard.
Included on the preseason All-SAC Team were two runners apiece from Carson-Newman and LMU, and one from both Brevard and Mars Hill.
LMU’s Sofia Lopez Mimendi, C-N’s Hanna Reese and MHC’s Jessica Viscusi -- who finished fifth, seventh and eighth respectively, at the 2011 SAC Championship -- were all named to the preseason First Team.
Catawba and Newberry tied for eighth in the preseason poll, while Tusculum was voted No. 10.
2012 SAC Women’s Cross Country Preseason Poll
Team Points (1st-place votes)
1. Anderson 76 (5)
2. Wingate 73 (5)
3. Lenoir-Rhyne 66
4. Carson-Newman 55
5. Mars Hill 48
6. Lincoln Memorial 39
7. Brevard 35
8. Catawba 24
Newberry 24
10. Tusculum 10
2012 SAC Preseason All-Conference Team
First Team
Ashley Kale, Lenoir-Rhyne
Sofia Lopez Mimendi, Lincoln Memorial
Hannah Reese, Carson-Newman
Hannah Robles, Anderson
Brianna Stevens, Wingate
Jessica Viscusi, Mars Hill
Keeley Wood, Wingate
Second Team
Angela Canale, Brevard
Sydney Hazel, Anderson
Amanda Johnson, Anderson
Meredith Nix, Carson-Newman
Laura Rhyne, Lenoir-Rhyne
Amber Stoerp, Lincoln Memorial
Taylor Varnadoe, Wingate
