Bridgeport Cross Country Teams Picked Seventh In Both Conference Preseason Polls

West Babylon, N.Y. - Roberts Wesleyan's men's and women's cross country teams earned the top spot in the East Coast Conference Men's and Women's Cross Country Preseason Polls announced on Monday afternoon. New York Tech junior, Noah Simatei (Eldoret, Kenya), has been named the Men's Preseason Runner of the Year for the second straight year. Roberts Wesleyan junior Ashley Watson (Ganesvoort, N.Y.) was selected as the winner of the Women's Preseason Runner of the Year honor.

Roberts Wesleyan, winners of five straight ECC Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships, was a unanimous selection atop both polls. Equipped with rosters loaded with returning All-Conference honorees, both Redhawks squads have reason to be optimistic heading into the 2019 season.

The men's team returns nine All-Conference honorees including First Teamers Christopher Sims, Josiah Ottolini, Shane Pease, and Nathan Cannon. The women's team also returns nine All-Conference runners, including the seven who swept the conference's First Team selections at the 2018 Championship (Watson, Brittany Shumway, Abigail Gostomski, Bailey Gostomski, Michaela Bierly, Erin Graham, and Moriah Martone).

St. Thomas Aquinas was the runner-up in both polls. New York Tech followed at No. 3 in the men's poll, while Daemen rounded out the top three on the women's side.

Simatei did not disappoint after earning the Men's Preseason Runner of the Year prior to the 2018 season. He earned the title of the ECC Men's Runner of the Year after coming in first place with a time of 25:48.9 in the ECC Championship. Simatei also earned a spot in the NCAA Division II Championship by finishing fifth at the East Regional. In addition, the five-time ECC Runner of the Week's outstanding season consisted of additional first-place finishes at the NYIT Invitational, LIU Post Invitational, Paul Short Invitational, and the NJIT Invitational.

Like Simatei, Watson is the reigning ECC Runner of the Year. She crossed the finish line first in a time of 19:03.3 at the league's championship. Watson also won the Harry F. Anderson Invitational and placed sixth in the NCAA East Regional to help the Redhawks earn a spot in the NCAA Division II Championship. She was Roberts' top finisher at the National Championship meet with a 61st place finish, helping the Redhawks come in 21st place.

2019 ECC Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll

2019 ECC Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll