LACEY, Wash. – The 2022 GNAC Cross Country men's and women's preseason poll has officially been announced and head coach Matt Lowe's second season has the Saints trending in the right direction as Saint Martin's placed sixth in the women's poll and seventh in the men's.
 
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After sweeping the 2021 GNAC championships, Simon Fraser is the favorite to repeat this year in both men's and women's leading the polls with six first place votes and 86 points each.
 
In the women's poll, Western Washington placed second receiving three first place votes and 79 points and Alaska rounded out the top three receiving a first place vote and 72 points in the poll. Western Oregon (63) and Seattle Pacific (49) placed fourth and fifth. Saint Martin's (44) placed sixth, improving on their eighth place finish in 2021. Alaska Anchorage (35), Northwest Nazarene (28), Central Washington (22) and Montana State Billings (17) completed the poll.
 
In the men's poll, WWU was also selected to place second receiving four first place votes and narrowly finished behind SFU with 84 points and Western Oregon was third with 67 points. Alaska Anchorage (65), Central Washington (48) and Montana State Billings (45) made up the middle of the poll. Saint Martin's (33), Northwest Nazarene (29), Seattle Pacific (23) and Alaska (15) rounded out the poll.
 
For the Saints men's team, All-GNAC selectee Jack Farrell and Kainalu Pagente enter 2022 as SMU's top finishers from 2021 with their seventh and 38th place finish at the GNAC Championships. Other key returners include Michael Harwell, Isaac Cortes, Rudu Wani, Steven Baltz, Lance Slichko, and Jaskaran Dhatt along with newcomers Elijah Dale, Trevor Dugo, and Ryan Lange.
 
Saint Martin's women's team has their top finishers Cassidy Walchak-Sloan and Sara Sabra returning after placing 26th and 27th at the GNAC Championships. In addition, Naomi
Hartley, Kya Ramirez and Abby Burton. The Saints also welcome newcomers Alauna Carsten, Faith Linthicum and Courtney Osborn.
 
The Saints open the season with the Ash Creek Collegiate Meet on  September 16th in Monmouth, Oregon.