GNAC Championship Coaches’ Polls Predicts Men Sixth, Women Seventh

BOSTON – As the Suffolk cross country men's and women's teams prep for the 2016 GNAC Championships this weekend, the conference has released the championship coaches' poll Thursday afternoon. The Rams' men's squad has been picked to finish sixth, while the women's team was selected seventh. 

The 2016 GNAC Cross Country Championships, which will be hosted by Emmanuel, Lasell and Simmons, Saturday, Oct. 29 at Franklin Park, will get underway with a 1 p.m. women's 5k, followed by the men's 8k race at 2 p.m. 

In the women's poll, Suffolk finished with 63 points good for seventh, putting the Rams ahead of Lasell (47), Mt. Ida (30), Anna Maria (29) and Rivier (13). The reigning conference championships Emmanuel is predicted to repeat as the Saints received five first-place votes for 108 points. Norwich and Simmons each received three first-place nods apiece for identical 103 points, putting the Cadets and Sharks in a two-way tie for second. Rounding out the top five forecasted contenders are Johnson & Wales (89) and St. Joseph's (Maine) (75). 

On the men's side, the Rams' 33 points put Suffolk in sixth ahead of Mt. Ida (25), Rivier (22) and Anna Maria (13). Defending league champ Norwich was picked as the favorite, receiving eight first-place votes for 80 points, finishing seven points ahead of second-place finisher Johnson & Wales, which garnered one first-place nod and 73 points overall. Emmanuel and Lasell were tabbed third and fourth, respectively, with 53 and 48 points. St. Joseph's (Maine) closed out the top five in the men's ledger with 48 points.