Westwood, MASS.- MIT lands in the top spot in the 2023 NEWMAC Men’s Cross Country Preseason Coaches’ Poll, collecting seven first-place votes. MIT enters the 2023 season as the defending NCAA Division III National Champions after the Engineers claimed the program’s first national title with a convincing victory in Lansing, Mich. Under the direction of 2022 USTFCCCA National Coach of the Year
Riley Macon, the Engineers earned the program’s 24th straight NEWMAC Championship and went on to capture the NCAA East Regional Championship for the second straight season.
Sam Acquaviva, the 2022 NEWMAC Athlete of the Year, finished third at the NCAA DIII National Championship and is one of eight returning NEWMAC All-Conference performers and two returning All-Americans.
Henry Hardart placed eighth at the NEWMAC Championship and was also an All-American.
Jacob Cobb earned NEWMAC Rookie of the Year honors in 2022 after finishing 13th at the NEWMAC Championship.
Landing in the second slot was WPI, who also nabbed a first-place vote. The Engineers, who took second place at the 2022 NEWMAC Championship, are led by head coach
Brian Chabot, and will return four of their top-seven runners. Among the returners are three All-NEWMAC performers,
David Reynolds,
Avi Bissoondial and
Jarrett Gulden.
Babson College, coached by
Russ Brennen, lands in the third spot, after also finishing third in the 2022 NEWMAC Championship. Among the Beaver returners is
Anthony Rodriguez, who earned both All-NEWMAC and All-East Region accolades a season ago.
Springfield College has nabbed the fourth spot, coming off a fourth-place finish at the 2022 NEWMAC Championship. The Pride, led by head coach
Anna Steinman, will see several key runners return for the 2023 season, including senior
Chris Vayda.
Coming in at the five-spot is Coast Guard, who finished fifth in the 2022 NEWMAC Championship. Led by head coach
Ethan Brown, the Bears will return several key contributors from a season ago, including
Paul Hobbs, who finished 32
nd overall in the NEWMAC Championships.
In the six slot is Wheaton College. Coached by
Alexander Evans, the Lyons are coming off a sixth-place finish at the 2022 NEWMAC Championship. Among the Lyon returners is
Noah White, who finished 35th at the NEWMAC Championship.
Emerson College ranks seventh in the poll. Coached by
Brandon Fox, the Lions are returning seven runners from last year’s squad.
Clark University and NEWMAC newcomer Salve Regina University round out the poll in a tie for eighth place. The Cougars are set to begin their second season with head coach
Emily Mauro. Junior
Evan Sucov returns for the scarlet and white after leading the team with a mark of 30:13.9 at last year’s NEWMAC Championships. The Seahawks, coached by
Kacie Gallo, will also return several key runners as they enter their first year of NEWMAC competition.
The NEWMAC Cross Country Championship will take place on Saturday, October 28.
2023 NEWMAC Men’s Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll
1. MIT (7)
2. WPI (1)
3. Babson (1)
4. Springfield
5. Coast Guard
6. Wheaton
7. Emerson
T8. Clark
T8. Salve Regina
About the NEWMAC
The NEWMAC is an association of 12 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with four Associate Members: Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime (Football) and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), while sponsoring 20 sports.