MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Sunshine State Conference released its 2024 Cross Country Preseason Coaches’ Poll on Monday morning. Nova Southeastern was projected to finish fourth on the men’s side and second on the women’s side. The Sharks men’s and women’s teams collected 39 and 44 total points respectively, with the women also receiving two first-place votes.
Last season on the women’s side, NSU showcased a dominant performance at the Sunshine State Conference Cross Country Championship, which earned them a second-place finish, their highest finish since the program captured second place at the 2012 SSC Cross Country Championships. Leena Saidi led the way, running an impressive time of 21:40.0 in the 6k en route to a second-place finish. Eden Toal and Ally Jakubiak were right behind her, finishing fifth (22:10.9) and sixth (22:11.4) respectively.
On the men’s side, Marcus Tortorella led NSU last season, Tortorella was the highest finisher for the Sharks at the Sunshine State Conference Cross Country Championships, finishing 24th with a time of 26:02.7.
Below are the full results of the 2024 SSC preseason coaches’ poll. Coaches cannot vote for their teams (points: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).
2024 SSC MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON COACHES POLL
| Rank | Team | Total (First Place Votes) |
| 1 | Florida Southern | 64 (8) |
| 2 | Embry-Riddle | 55 (1) |
| 3 | Tampa | 52 |
| 4 | Nova Southeastern | 39 |
| 5 | Palm Beach Atlantic | 36 |
| 6 | Lynn | 28 |
| T7 | Barry | 19 |
| T7 | Florida Tech | 19 |
| 9 | Saint Leo | 12 |
2024 SSC WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON COACHES POLL
| Rank | School | Total (First Place Votes) |
| 1 | Tampa | 48 (6) |
| 2 | Nova Southeastern | 44 (2) |
| 3 | Embry-Riddle | 32 |
| 4 | Florida Southern | 31 |
| 5 | Palm Beach Atlantic | 26 |
| 6 | Lynn | 18 |
| 7 | Barry | 15 |
| 8 | Saint Leo | 10 |
The Nova Southeastern Sharks kick off their 2024 season at the Holloway Park Collegiate XC Opener in Lakeland, Fla. on Friday, Sept. 6.
To stay up-to-date on Sharks Cross Country, be sure to follow on Instagram and Twitter at NSU_XCTF.
