The Wayland Baptist men's cross country team has been ranked 12th in the NAIA Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches poll which was released by the national office on Wednesday afternoon.

The Pioneers received 333 votes, and are one of three teams in the Top 25 from the Sooner Athletic conference. Defending SAC champion Oklahoma Christian is 7th and Oklahoma Baptist is 21st.

Coach Brian Whitlock, in his seventh season as head of the WBU cross country program, returns six athletes from last year's squad which finished second at the SAC Championships. Among the new faces to the WBU cross country team this fall are Kennedy Kithuka, who won the NAIA Men's Outdoor National Championship in both the 5000 and 10000 meters last spring, and Edward Taragon, who was an outdoor national qualifier in the 3000m steeplechase.

Wayland's women's team received 22 votes in the Women's Preseason Coaches poll. They were the top vote-getter from the SAC. Sophomores Milca Villegas and Catherine Leubner, both of whom qualified for the Cross Country National Championships a year ago, are back to lead the Pioneer women.

Both Pioneer teams will travel to Ruidoso, NM next weekend for a dual meet with Texas Tech.