Smith Named ECAC Runner of the Week; Men’s Cross Country Ranked No. 19 in the Nation by USTFCCCA
Ravens also ranked second in East Region
USTFCCCA National Coaches' Poll
USTFCCCA Regional Team Rankings
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Smith and the Ravens moved up three spots in the National Coaches'
Poll from their preseason poll.RINDGE, N.H. (September 24, 2014) – Sophomore B.J. Smith (Concord, N.H.) of the Franklin Pierce University men's cross country team has been named ECAC Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week, as announced Wednesday by the ECAC. In addition, the Ravens have been ranked No. 19 nationally in the first USTFCCCA Men's Cross Country Coaches' Poll of the season, and are also ranked second in the East Region.
Smith led the way for the Ravens in Saturday's blowout win for the team at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational. Smith stopped the clock in the five-mile race at 24:48.30 to finish in first place by nearly nine seconds. He was one of three Ravens to finish in the top six, while the team put all five of its scoring positions among the first 23 finishers.
Smith has been the team's top finisher in each of its first two meets of the season, as he finished fourth at the season-opening Bruce Kirsh Cross Country Cup on Franklin Pierce's home course in Rindge.
Franklin Pierce ranks No. 19 nationally in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Coaches' Poll, which is voted on weekly by coaches from around the country. The first weekly poll of the season sees the Ravens pick up 50 points, up 19 points from the preseason poll, and move up three spots after spending the preseason in 22nd. Franklin Pierce is the second of two East Region members in the 25-team poll, as fellow Northeast-10 institution American International held steady at No. 15. Also out of the Northeast-10, Stonehill appears in the "Also Receiving Votes" section of the poll. At the top of the poll, Adams State picked up 200 points and all eight first-place votes to remain the unanimous pick as the No. 1 team in the country, as it was during the preseason.
The Ravens are currently second in the USTFCCCA East Region Rankings. The first weekly regional ranking of the season sees the Ravens remain in the second spot it also held during the preseason. The only team ahead of Franklin Pierce is AIC, which was also first in the preseason regional rankings. After the Ravens and Yellow Jackets, teams from the Northeast-10 also occupy five other spots in the 10-team rankings: defending East Region champion Stonehill is third, Merrimack is fifth, Bentley is sixth, Adelphi is seventh and Assumption is 10th.
The Ravens are idle this week and will be back in action on Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Paul Short Run, hosted by Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pa.
For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce cross country apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).