BRIDGEPORT — The Charleston men’s cross country team was voted to repeat as the 2024 Mountain East Conference Men’s Cross Country Champions following a vote of the league’s 11 head coaches.
Charleston won the 2023 MEC Men’s Cross Country title, the sixth-consecutive for UC, and went on to win the Atlantic Regional Championship. UC also placed 17th in the team standings at the NCAA Men’s Cross Country Championship and had three top 100 finishers.
In the preseason voting, UC received seven-first place votes and 97 total points. Davis & Elkins was second in the preseason voting with 94 points and four-first place votes. Davis & Elkins finished second a season ago in the Atlantic Region Championship as they also represented the MEC at the 2023 NCAA Men’s Cross Country Championship placing 28th as a team. Concord (80), Frostburg State (67) and West Virginia Wesleyan (65) rounded out the top five.
Glenville State (40), Fairmont State (34), Point Park (34), Wheeling (25) and West Virginia State (11) completed the bottom half of the bracket.
The 2024 men’s cross country season will get underway Friday, Sept. 6 for several MEC programs. The 2024 MEC Cross Country Championship is set for Saturday, Oct. 26 at Oglebay Resort’s Crispin Golf Course.
MEC Men’s Cross Country Preseason Poll
1. Charleston (7) – 97
2. Davis & Elkins (4) – 94
3. Concord – 80
4. Frostburg State – 67
5. West Va. Wesleyan – 65
6. West Liberty – 58
7. Glenville State – 40
T8. Fairmont State – 34
T8. Point Park – 34
10. Wheeling – 25
11. West Virginia St. – 11
* Coaches not permitted to vote for own team
( ) First-place votes
All schools in Upshur County will close at 1 p.m. today. All B-UHS sporting events today are canceled.
