ODAC Cross Country Coaches Select Guilford 10th In Preseason Polls

FOREST, Va. – Guilford’s men’s and women’s cross country teams were both selected 10th in their respective Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Coaches’ Preseason Polls, which were released Thursday. The Quakers’ men received 30 points, while the women earned 43 points.

Washington and Lee University and Lynchburg were picked first and second, respectively, in both polls. Rounding out the top three on the women’s side was Bridgewater, while Roanoke earned the third spot for the men.

Guilford’s women return Marian Cooper (Corning, N.Y./ Corning-Painted Post East) and Ananya Bernardo (Silver Spring, Md. / Bethesda Chevy Chase) to the roster. Bernardo, a sophomore, finished 82nd in the 2018 Hornet Harrier Meet with a time of 26 minutes, 33 seconds and 86th (33:54.7, 6k) at the ODAC Championships. Cooper returns after a successful sophomore campaign which saw a first-place finish (21:37, 5k) at the Livingstone Cross Country Invitational, a 26th-place effort (26:03, 6k) at the ODAC Championships, and 121st-place performance (26:24.96, 6k) at the NCAA South/Southeast Regionals.

The Quakers’ men return junior Darby Houghton (New York, N.Y. / Bard HS Early College), who placed 92nd at the 2018 ODAC Championships with a time of 37:26 on the eight-kilometer course.

Guilford starts the 2019 season with the Quaker XC Opener Friday, August 30. The three-team meet features Averett University and Randolph College and will mark Guilford’s first on-campus meet since 2014. The ODAC Championships are set for Saturday, November 2 in Salem, Virginia.