COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – According to a poll of Mountain West cross country head coaches released Thursday, the Cowboy cross country team has been selected to finish sixth out of eight teams in the conference while the Cowgirl squad has been voted to finish seventh out of 11 teams in the league in 2017. The Colorado State men and New Mexico women were selected as the league's 2017 team champions in the preseason poll.
 
The Cowboys' sixth-place selection matches their finish from the 2016 Mountain West Cross Country Championships. Earning 20 points in the preseason poll, the men's harriers were voted to finish ahead of San José State (12 points) and Fresno State (nine points). Utah State and New Mexico were picked to tie for fourth just ahead of Wyoming, each collecting 28 points in the poll. Air Force was selected third with 36 points, while the league's coaches predicted a tight race for the top spot in the conference as defending champion Boise State earned 45 points while 2016 runner-up Colorado State edged the Broncos with 46 points.
 
After taking fifth at the 2016 MW cross country championships, the Cowgirls earned 53 points in the preseason poll for a seventh-placed predicted finish in 2017. Wyoming earned just three points less than sixth-place Nevada, but collected a whopping 20 points more than eighth-place San José State. The Cowgirls were also selected to finish above Fresno State (25 points), San Diego State (20 points), and UNLV (16 points). Utah State (61 points), Colorado State (71 points), and Air Force (81 points) were chosen to finish fifth through third, respectively, while Boise State (89 points) was voted league runner-up and New Mexico (100 points) received 10 out of 11 possible first-place votes to take first in the preseason poll.
 
Reigning Second Team All-Mountain West runner Lauren Hamilton will anchor the Cowgirl cross country squad in 2017, while the Cowboys' top conference finisher from 2016, Jonah Henry, will redshirt the 2017 campaign. A number of Cowboys will look to step up in Henry's absence, with junior Ricky Faure leading the way after he was UW's No. 2 finisher at last year's conference championship meet behind Henry.
 
The Cowboys and Cowgirls will get their first look at conference foes Air Force and Colorado State when they compete at the CSU Duals on Friday evening. Additional competition will include Colorado, Northern Colorado and various Division II teams. For more information, see the CSU Duals meet notes or follow @wyo_track on Twitter.