NSIC Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll

            The Wayne State College women's cross country team has been picked for an eighth place finish in the 2010 Northern Sun Conference preseason coaches poll.  The Wildcats received a total of 41 points in voting conducted by the league's 11 coaches in women's cross country.  Wayne State sophomore Ky'Lee Engelken was selected as the Wildcat runner to watch in the NSIC this season.

            Defending league champion Augustana received seven first-place votes and 97 points to be selected as the team to beat this season in the NSIC.  Mary and Minnesota Duluth each collected two first-place votes and tied for second in the poll with 88 points.  Minnesota State (70 points) and Winona State (64) rounded out the top five teams in the poll.  St. Cloud State (48 points) was sixth followed by MSU Moorhead (44), Wayne State, Northern State (36), Bemidji State (17) and Concordia-St. Paul (12 points) to round out the coaches poll.

            Ky'Lee Engelken, a sophomore from Pawnee City, Nebraska, was picked as Wayne State's runner to watch in the NSIC this season.  Engelken just missed earning All-NSIC honors last year as a freshman in cross country (her first season running the sport) falling two places shy of earning All-Conference honors.  She finished a season-best eighth at last year's NCAA Pre-Regional race in Wayne with a time of 23:14 on the 6,000-meter course.

            Wayne State is scheduled to open the 2010 cross country season this Saturday when the Wildcats compete at the Concordia Invitational in Seward, Nebraska.