In the Atlantic Sun Conference preseason coaches poll, the Buccaneer men were tabbed third, while the women were 10th.ETSU received two first-place votes, with Kennesaw State, USC Upstate and Belmont being honored with the other selections. The Owls took home seven first-place nods (112 total votes) and the Spartans – who will host the 2010 A-Sun Championships – finished third with 100 votes. Overall, the Bucs tallied 96 votes.

The Bucs, who finished second behind Kennesaw State at last year’s championship, return six letterwinners from that squad – including two-time all-conference selection Ben Ronoh (Sotik, Kenya). In addition to the six returners, head coach David Walker and his staff did a solid job on the recruiting trail, as ETSU brings in five newcomers in 2010. Despite having a lot of depth on the roster, the Bucs still need to replace two-time conference champion and seven-time A-Sun Runner of the Week recipient Kenneth Rotich (Nairobi, Kenya). Rotich, the reigning cross country conference champion, graduated in May.

On the women’s side, Jacksonville was selected the top team as the 2009 A-Sun champions received nine first-place votes en route to earning 116 total points. North Florida was pegged second (98 votes) and USC Upstate and Kennesaw State both received 89 votes to tie for third.

The Lady Bucs, who will be led by senior Caitlyn Epps (Cookeville, Tenn.) in 2010, was picked above Stetson for 10th.

ETSU is set to compete in seven meets this upcoming season.

Following the first of two open weekends in September, the Bucs return to action – again in Boone – when ETSU races in the Mountaineer Open on Sept. 17.

The Bucs don’t return to the terrain until the first weekend of October, as ETSU remains in North Carolina for the Charlotte Cross Country Invitational on Friday, Oct. 1. From there, ETSU catches a glimpse of the NCAA Regional course the following weekend (Oct. 9) when the Bucs travel to Hoover, Ala. for the Samford Invite – which is the same grounds the regional will be contested in mid-November.

After the trip to Alabama, the Bucs will test the grounds of the new Atlantic Sun Championship site as ETSU competes at the USC Upstate Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 16.

The A-Sun Championships will be held on Saturday, Oct. 30 when USC Upstate hosts the annual event. The Buccaneer men’s squad will look to dethrone Kennesaw State and bring the conference title back to Johnson City for the second time in the last three seasons.

The NCAA South Regional is set for Saturday, Nov. 13, while the NCAA Championships are held at Indiana State University on Monday, Nov. 22.

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