GREENVILLE, S.C. – After finishing second at last year's Conference Carolinas Championship, the Converse University men's cross country team was predicted to have the same finish this season, as announced by the conference office on Wednesday morning.

The 2024 champions, UNC Pembroke, topped the poll with 225 points and every first-place except their own. Teams cannot rank themselves in the preseason poll.

The Valkyries placed second with 202 points and received the first-place from UNC Pembroke.

Lees-McRae placed third with 190 points, followed by Belmont Abbey in fourth with 181 points. Southern Wesleyan finished fifth with 173 points, trailed by Young Harris in sixth with 164 points.

North Greenville follows behind with 134 points in seventh place and Mount Olive placed eighth with 1278 points. King was the final team to receive over 100 points in the poll, placing ninth with 107 points.

Erskine, Barton, Emmanuel, Francis Marion, Shorter, Ferrum and Chowan.

Conference Carolinas also released its Players to Watch. A pair of Valkyrie sophomores, Ander Vera Moleres and Alex Porter, and one senior, Jaxon Wright, received the distinction.

Vera Morleres, a sophomore from Pamplona, Spain, earned second-team all-conference honors last season for finishing eighth at the 2024 Conference Carolinas Championship.

Porter, a sophomore from Simpsonville, finished 31st out of 145 racers at last year's championship.

Wright, a senior from Mauldin, finished 38th out of 145 racers at last year's championship. He finished 39th out of 128 racers the year prior and 47th out of 116 racers as a freshman in 2022.

The Valkyries begin the season as they host the Converse Kick-Off at Milliken Research Park on Friday, Sept. 5 at 6:30 P.M.
 
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