PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots men's and women's cross country teams both were recognized in the USTFCCA's preseason poll earlier this morning, with the men at No. 14 and the women's receiving votes at No. 31.
 
"This is a great ranking for the team," said men's head coach Rob Conner. "We graduated a lot of men, so for coaches to know that we had a lot of young guys run well in the spring is pretty cool.  We will use this as motivation."
 
The Pilots, who ranked at No.22 in the FloTrack preseason rankings, return NCAA Track and Field Outdoor 1500m All-American Jeff Thies and junior Nick Hauger, who were two of Portland's top runners last fall. In the fall, Hauger placed third at the West Coast Conference Championships earn All-WCC First team honors and help the Pilots place second. Second Team 3000m Steeplechase All-American Noah Schutte, will also return for the Pilots, along with Sophomore Tristan Peloquin who had a strong fall showing.
 
On the women's side, the Pilots were ranked at No.23 in the FloTrack rankings even though they graduated a group of talented seniors. Top runners Lauren LaRocco and Taryn Rawlings return this fall and each posted impressive accolades from previous seasons. LaRocco, who previously earned All-American honors in the 5000m and 10,000m finals at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and claimed her third All-American honors at the Pilots' first ever appearance at Cross Country Nationals last fall, with a 29^th place finish. Rawlings comes off a strong track and field season setting a new school record in the indoor 1500m at the MPSF Championships and advancing to the semi-final round of the 2017 Outdoor Track and Field championships in the 1500m.The Pilots also add U20 European standout, Jasmijn Lau, who recently won the 5000m at the European Championships.
 
"Early season rankings don't mean a whole lot so we will get a better idea of things in a month or so," said women's head coach Ian Solof. "More importantly, our team is training really well and I'm excited about what they have done so far. Should be a great season."
 
USTFCCCA NCAA DI: Men's XC National Coaches Poll
1.Northern Arizona
2. Stanford
3. Syracuse
4. Arkansas
5. Colorado
6. BYU
7. Wisconsin
8. Iona
9. Oregon
10. Oklahoma State
11. Washington State
12. Iowa State
13. Virginia
14. Portland
15. Southern Utah
16. Georgetown
17. Furman
T-18. Colorado State
T-18. Ole Miss
20. Tulsa
21. Middle Tennessee
22. Eastern Michigan
23. Michigan State
24. Boise State
25. UCLA
26. Virginia Tech
27. Illinois
28. NC State
29. Colombia
30. Texas
Others Receiving Votes: Navy, UTEP. Michigan, Air Force, California, Providence, Washington, Indiana, Princeton, Alabama, Minnesota
 
USTFCCCA NCAA DI: Women's XC National Coaches Poll
1.Colorado
2. Oregon
3. Michigan
4. New Mexico
5. Stanford
6. NC State
7. Providence
8. Notre Dame
9. BYU
10. San Francisco
11. Penn State
12. Arkansas
13. Washington
14. Wisconsin
15. Missouri
16. Michigan State
17. Eastern Michigan
18. Ole Miss
19. Boise State
20. Villanova
21. Oklahoma State
22. Utah
23. Mississippi
24. Utah
25. Harvard
T-26. Georgetown
T-26. Iowa State
28. Louisville
29. Air Force
30. Yale
Others Receiving Votes: West Virginia, Portland, Utah State, Furman, UCLA, Vanderbilt. Baylor, Abilene Christian, Indiana, Syracuse, Cornell, Texas