KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State University men’s cross country team debuted at No. 8 in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) South Regional Poll announced on Monday. The Owls were the top-ranked Atlantic Sun team followed by North Florida (No. 10), Belmont (No. 11) and Lipscomb (No. 13).

Florida State topped the South Region with four SEC schools rounding out the top-five.

The Owls return as the two-time reigning A-Sun Champions after winning last seasons outdoor title at Millikin Research Park in Spartanburg, S.C. Returning for the Owls will be the teams top-three runners from 2010 as senior Jaakko Nieminen and juniors Ryan Burruss and Nabil Hamid look to lead the team to their third consecutive conference championship. Both Nabil and Nieminen were named A-Sun All-Conference Selections for their efforts in 2010.

“This is a strong group of individuals that have set really big goals for themselves this season,” Andy Eggerth the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country operations said. “Being ranked eighth in the region is accurate to our current status after summer workouts, but we fill that we have the tools and with hard work can become a top-five team.”

The Black and Gold, picked No.1 in the A-Sun Conference kicks off the 2011 cross country season this Friday when the team travels to Nashville, Tenn., to compete in the Belmont Opener, hosted by Belmont.  The women's 4K race is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET and the men's 5K race is set for 7:00 p.m. ET.  The meet is to be held at Vaughn's Creek Cross Country Course at Percy Warner Park, the site for the 2011 A-Sun Conference Championship.

Rank	School	Location	Conference
1.	Florida State	Tallahassee, Fla.	ACC
2.	Florida	Gainesville, Fla.	SEC
3.	Georgia	Athens, Ga.	SEC
4.	Alabama	Tuscaloosa, Ala.	SEC
5.	Tennesssee	Knoxville, Tenn.	SEC
6.	Chattanooga	Chattanooga, Tenn.	Southern
7.	Mississippi	Oxford, Miss.	SEC
8.	Kennesaw State	Kennesaw, Ga.	Atlantic Sun
9.	Mississippi State	Starkville, Miss.	SEC
10.	North Florida	Jacksonville, Fla.	Atlantic Sun
11.	Belmont	Nashville, Tenn.	Atlantic Sun
12.	USF	Tampa, Fla.	Big East
13.	Lipscomb	Nashville, Tenn.	Atlantic Sun
14.	Vanderbilt	Nashville, Tenn.	SEC
15.	Georgia Tech	Atlanta, Ga.	ACC