Lancaster, Pa. – (10/27/2021) – With the Atlantic East Conference (AEC) Men's Cross Country Championship Meet scheduled for this Saturday, October 30, the league has officially released the results of the
Pre-Championship Poll. With one first-place vote and 26 total points, Gwynedd Mercy University ranked third in the forecasted team finish. 2019 AEC Champion, Marywood University garnered the remaining six first-place votes to top the poll with 36 total points.
In between the Pacers and Griffins ranked Immaculata University, who garnered 27 total points. The remainder of the league's predicted finish included Cabrini University (21 Total Points), Marymount University (15), Neumann University (12), and Centenary University (10).
Gwynedd Mercy University returned three runners who helped lead them to a third-place finish (3
rd of 5, 83 Points) at the 2019 AEC Men's Cross Country Championship. In 2021, juniors;
Thomas Balla (Trevose, Pa.) and
Sean Morris (Limerick, Pa.) have been the pace setters for the Griffins. Balla was the first Griffin across the finish line at the Griffin 5K Invitational (3
rd, 18:06.1 on Sept. 4) and Stockton University's Osprey Open (45
th, 28:42.27 on Sept. 25), while Morris was first for Gwynedd Mercy University at the Philadelphia Metro Meet (19
th, 31:05.1 on Sept. 11) and Rowan University's Inter-Regional Border Battle (235
th, 30:16.8 on Oct. 16). Sophomore
Karam Aldarwich (Dresher, Pa.) provided the Griffins' top time at Lehigh University's Paul Shot Invitational (Oct. 1) as he finished just ahead of Balla (128
th, 29:16.8) in the Men's White 8K with a time of 29:16.7 placing him 127
th.
The 2021 AEC Men's Cross Country Championship is scheduled for Saturday, October 30, with an 11:00 a.m. starting gun at Marywood University. You can follow all the action with these
LIVE VIDEO and the
LIVE RESULTS links.
The complete results of the
2021 AEC Men's Cross Country Pre-Championship Poll are available below and with use of the provided links.
2021 AEC Men's Cross Country Pre-Championship Poll
| Rank.School |
Points |
First-Place Votes |
| 1. Marywood University |
36 |
6 |
| 2. Immaculata University |
27 |
|
| 3. Gwynedd Mercy University |
26 |
1 |
| 4. Cabrini University |
21 |
|
| 5. Marymount University |
15 |
|
| 6. Neumann University |
12 |
|
| 7. Centenary University |
10 |
|
