Azusa Pacific men's cross country is the PacWest preseason favorite, and for the first time in the NCAA era, the Cougars are ranked nationally to start the season, as they sit at No. 25 in the USTFCCCA preseason rankings.

"I was actually surprised to see the PacWest 1-2 flip in the rankings because it normally doesn't happen," said Smith, "I certainly believe our men will win PacWest, but it is not the norm to see coaches vote for a new favorite. Our goal is to compete well at the Conference Championships, but we are also focused heavily on December 2nd in Washington (Nationals). Seeing our group get recognition on the national level and within the conference is exciting and I know the men have been working towards making a big splash." 

In 2021, the Cougars turned in the program's best season in the NCAA era, as Azusa Pacific finished second at the PacWest Championships, and a few weeks later, the Cougars placed fourth at Regionals, narrowly missing qualification for Nationals.

Head coach Sean Smith returns 14 runners this season, including Nixon Korir, Michael Schneider and Riley Burns. Korir was a First Team All-Region and First Team All-PacWest runner last year, as he placed fourth at the PacWest Championships, and 20th at Regionals. Both Schneider and Burns ran their way into Second Team All-PacWest distinction, as Schneider placed ninth and Burns was 18th at the PacWest Championships. 

While plenty of talent is set to return for the Cougars, Smith added even more depth for this upcoming year, as he signed seven newcomers. "This is a very good incoming class and we had a strong returning group to start with," said Coach Smith, "Something discussed with the recruits throughout the process was what we want as a program on the national level. I've been aiming for men who share the same goals and I really think we get that with this group. The whole group is hungry for something big on the national level."

The Cougars are set to open the 2022 season this weekend on Saturday, September 3, when they hit the course at the Mark Covert Invitational, which is hosted by Cal State Fullerton. The race will be held at Carbon Canyon Regional Park, which is located in Brea, Calif. "There are a lot of things we have never done within the NCAA era; winning a conference title and qualifying for nationals being the two big ones. We do not want to just qualify for nationals, we want to compete with the best teams in the country and this is a group that can place inside the top 10 in D2. I'm so proud of the group's approach and we are eager to get it going."

To view the complete 2022 race schedule, click here.