RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Heading into the 2024 season, the Southeastern Oklahoma State cross country program was voted sixth in the 2024 GAC Preseason Poll, the league announced Thursday.
East Central tops the poll with 119 total votes and nine first-place nods. Ouachita Baptist followed closely with 111 total votes and two first-place tallies, while Arkansas Tech earned the final first-place vote in third place with 99 points.
The Savage Storm received 71 votes in sixth place, receiving 13 more votes than seventh-place Southern Arkansas (58). Harding sits just ahead of SE in fifth place with 85 points and Oklahoma Baptist (91) rounds out the top five in fourth.
Last season, SE cross country placed sixth at the GAC Championship Meet, led by returners
Madison Rowe and
Alexis Longoria, who each posted top 50 times. The pair are among nine returners from last season's squad that also finished 26
th at the NCAA Central Region Meet.
Rowe held the second-best 5K time on the team in 2023 with a 19:42.3 time at the conference meet, while Longoria had the third, fourth and fifth fastest times last year. In addition, Longoria saw the team's best individual finish at the ULM Warhawk XC Festival, where the Lancaster, Texas native placed seventh with a time of 19:50.2, helping the team secure a second-place finish.
The Savage Storm added nine newcomers to their roster this offseason, featuring four transfers and five freshmen. Among the new additions, Ashlen and
Katlen Clem join from North Central Texas College, while
Calibre Keene and
Hallie-Ann Sheffield join the Storm from Murray State College and the University of Tulsa, respectively.
Southeastern Oklahoma State gets its season underway on Friday, Sept. 6, at the Aggies Duels in Lawton, Okla., hosted by Cameron University. The Storm will compete in five events this year before heading to the 2024 GAC Championship Meet in Ada, Okla. on Saturday, Oct. 26.
2024 GAC Preseason Cross Country Poll
| Team |
Total Votes |
First-Place Votes |
| East Central |
119 |
9 |
| Ouachita Baptist |
111 |
2 |
| Arkansas Tech |
99 |
1 |
| Oklahoma Baptist |
91 |
|
| Harding |
85 |
|
| Southeastern Oklahoma State |
71 |
|
| Southern Arkansas |
58 |
|
| Southern Nazarene |
51 |
|
| Northwestern Oklahoma State |
44 |
|
| Southwestern Oklahoma State |
31 |
|
| Henderson State |
20 |
|
| Arkansas-Monticello |
12 |
|
