Ferris Women's CC Ranked Second In Region

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Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's cross country team is ranked second in the 2010 United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Preseason Midwest Regional Poll, which was announced Tuesday (Aug. 24).

The Bulldog women's cross country team, which will be guided by third-year head coach Steve Picucci, is listed second behind regional favorite and defending champion Grand Valley State.  

The women's squad is one of six Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) teams found in the top 10 of the regional poll.  FSU and GVSU are joined in the top five by Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) member Southern Indiana (#3), Ashland (#4) and Findlay (#5).

The Bulldogs, who reported to begin preseason workouts today (Aug. 24), are officially started to begin the 2010 campaign by taking part in the Northwood Open on Friday, Sept. 3, in Midland, Mich.

Ferris ran to a 11th-place team finish while tying for the second-highest finish in school history during the 2009 NCAA Division II National Championships last fall (Nov. 21) in Evansville, Ind. FSU previously had secured its national championships berth by running to a third-place team finish in the NCAA-II Midwest Regional Championships (Nov. 7) held in Kenosha, Wis. The Bulldog women placed third in the regional for the second-straight campaign.

Last year also represented only the fourth time in history the Bulldog women's cross country team had team qualified for the national championships as FSU's 2008 showing was its first since 1987.

Six of FSU's seven runners from last season's national championships are slated to return this fall, including standout Tina Muir, who took 12th place overall for the second-straight year in earning All-America honors for the second consecutive campaign last season.  Muir, who was last year's regional champion and GLIAC Runner of the Year, won all five of her races last season prior to the national championships.

The 2010 GLIAC Championships will be held on Saturday, Nov. 6, in Hillsdale, Mich., with the 2010 NCAA-II Midwest Regional set for Saturday, Nov. 20, in Louisville, Ky.  The NCAA Division II National Championships will also be held in Louisville on Saturday, Dec. 4.

MIDWEST Regional Rankings

Last year's national runner up, Grand Valley State, holds the top-ranked spot and is looking for a title defense in the Midwest. GLIAC rival Ferris State is the second-ranked team after finishing 11th at the national meet a year ago. Southern Indiana, at third in the region, was 12th at nationals in 2009.