Men look for return to NCAA Championship

USTFCCCA Preseason Regional Rankings (PDF)

RINDGE, N.H. (September 1, 2015) – For the first time in program history, the Franklin Pierce University women's cross country team has cracked the top 10 of the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association East Region Rankings, as announced Tuesday by the USTFCCCA. In the preseason edition of the regional rankings, the women are ranked 10th, while the men placed fourth in the East Region.

For the women, the ranking is tangible evidence of the program's growth and evolution as it heads into its fourth campaign. Led by senior stalwart Alyssa Lambert (Manchester, N.H.) and sophomore Natalie Davies (Ware, Mass.), the Ravens add three freshmen to the mix in 2015, as the team looks to make a name for itself in the East Region. Franklin Pierce was 14th at the end of last season and jumps up four spots to crack the top-10 for the first time in program history. The East Region holds three automatic bids to the final round of the NCAA Championship, and the region's coaches have forecast Stonehill, Roberts Wesleyan and American International for those three spots, in that order, at the top of the rankings.

Meanwhile, on the men's side, the Ravens were the first team left out of the national championship race at last year's NCAA Championship East Regional, with a fourth-place finish. The region's coaches have placed the team fourth in the preseason rankings for 2015 as well, behind Stonehill, AIC and Roberts Wesleyan, in that order. Among others, the Ravens return junior B.J. Smith (Concord, N.H.), junior Dage Minors (Hamilton Parish, Bermuda), junior Jon Holmes (Albany, N.Y.) and senior Colton Ham (Webster, N.H.), all of whom made significant contributions to the squad a year ago.

Franklin Pierce opens its 2015 season on Saturday, Sept. 5 at the Roger Williams Invitational in Bristol, R.I.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce cross country apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).