MELBOURNE, Fla. –  The University of Tampa has been voted No. 1 in the 2022 Sunshine State Conference women’s cross country coaches preseason poll. The Spartans are expected to lift the league championship trophy for the 17th year after receiving 34 points and four first-place votes in the ranking.

Saint Leo University narrowly lands in second place with 32 points and the final three first-place votes. Florida Southern College ranks third in the preseason ranking with 26 points, while Palm Beach Atlantic University occupies the middle of the poll with 16 points. Lynn University (15 points), Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (12 points), and Nova Southeastern University (12 points) round out the ranking.

Last season, Saint Leo edged Tampa, 50 to 52, to capture its third SSC Women’s Cross Country Championship and first since 2016. Finishing the 6,000-meter race with a time of 21:27.67, Zoe Jarvis became the first Spartan to repeat as conference champion since 2005. Faye Dervan, Paige Patterson, and Tania Jarreau of Saint Leo finished second, third, and fourth, respectively. Tampa’s Anna Sentner rounded out the Top-5. Florida Southern took third place with three finishers in the top 15.

Embry-Riddle will host the 2022 SSC Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 5th, in Daytona Beach. NCAA Division II regional competition will take place on Saturday, November 19th. The women’s national championship will be held at Chamber’s Bay in University Place, Washington, on Saturday, December 3rd.

Below are the full results of the 2022 SSC preseason coaches’ poll. Coaches cannot vote for their teams (points: 6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).

2022 SSC WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON COACHES POLL

Previous SSC Women’s Cross Country Polls