The Drury men's cross country squad has earned a preseason No. 23 national ranking in NCAA Division II in the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll released this week.
Coach Jon Van Arkel's Panthers are also fourth among teams from the Midwest Region, trailing only Grand Valley State, Southern Indiana and Wayne State (Mich.). The Panthers are led by junior Jaime Villa Zapatero, the defending Great Lakes Valley Conference individual champion who finished 20th in the NCAA-II Championships last season to earn All-America honors.
In addition to Villa Zapatero, the Panthers return all five top scorers who helped Drury claim third place as a team at the GLVC meet, including senior Geoff Hughes, juniors Derek Berry and Steven Busch and sophomore Case Van Arkel.
Drury opens the men's cross country season in the Missouri Southern Stampede on Sept. 19 in Joplin.
Complete Poll