POMONA, Calif. – Both the Cal Poly Pomona men's cross country and women's cross country programs were ranked in the Top 3 of their respective CCAA preseason polls, it was announced by the conference office on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.
 
"I'm proud of our men and women for earning the respect of the CCAA coaches," said head coach Chris Bradford. "It's tough to reach these positions in a conference like the CCAA, but at the end of the day, what matters is how well we perform in October and beyond."
 
Men's Cross Country
The men's program was ranked No. 2 in the conference, receiving every second-place vote for a total of 72 points. To no surprise, Chico State received all nine first-place votes, as they look for their 22^nd consecutive CCAA title. The Broncos, who have finished second at the CCAA Championships for three consecutive seasons, look to snap that streak this Fall.
 
The Broncos also look to make their 24^th NCAA Championships appearance come November, following a 23^rd place finish at nationals last season.
 
MXC CCAA Preseason Poll
1. Chico State – 81 pts (9)
2. Cal Poly Pomona – 72 pts
3. Stanislaus State – 56 pts
3. Cal State San Marcos – 56 pts
5. Cal Poly Humboldt – 48 pts
6. Cal State East Bay – 34 pts
7. Cal State Monterey Bay – 25 pts
8. San Francisco State – 24 pts
9. Cal State LA – 9 pts
 
In addition, CPP had five student-athletes named to the preseason watchlist having earned All-CCAA honors in 2023, including Leandro Candray, Daniel Echeveste, Tom McDonnell, Ricardo Vargas, and Francisco Zavaleta.
 
 
Women's Cross Country
The women's program was ranked No. 3 in their preseason poll, receiving one first-place vote and 102 total points. Only Chico State and Stanislaus State finished above CPP, at 117 and 109 points, respectively. The Broncos have progressively improved over the past three seasons, climbing from fifth, to fourth, and finally third at the conference championships last season.
 
In addition, the team looks to make their first NCAA Championship appearance since 2019, and their sixth overall.
 
WXC CCAA Preseason Poll
1. Chico State – 117 pts (8)
2. Stanislaus State – 109 pts (2)
3. Cal Poly Pomona – 102 pts (1)
4. Cal State San Marcos – 82 pts
5. Cal State East Bay – 66 pts
6. Cal Poly Humboldt – 55 pts
6. Cal State Monterey Bay – 55 pts
8. Cal State San Bernardino – 48 pts
9. Sonoma State – 47 pts
10. San Francsico State – 34 pts
11. Cal State LA – 11 pts
 
Junior Vivian Martinez was named to the preseason watchlist, following an eighth-place finish and earning All-CCAA honors at the conference championships last season.
 
 
2024 Schedule
Both teams will compete at the same meets, the men in the 8K and the women in the 5K or the 6K, starting with the Coyote Challenge on September 7^th at Cal State San Bernardino. Two weeks later, they will run at the UCR Ag Ops Course in Riverside on September 21^st. The Broncos will then travel out of state for the DBU Old Glory Gallop in Grand Prairie, Texas, hosted by Dallas Baptist University. CPP will then conclude the regular season at the Pomona-Pitzer Invite on October 12^th, located in Claremont.
 
The CCAA Championships will take place at Woodward Park in Fresno on October 25^th. To view the full 2024 schedule, click here: MENS or WOMENS.
 
"We are focused on challenging ourselves not only physically, but mentally to be ready for the championships," continued Bradford. "Both teams have put in a tremendous amount of work this summer and now we have put a focus on mentally preparing ourselves to race at a high level at the end of the season."