Men's soccer and men's cross country ranked in top 25 nationally

RELEASED: Sept. 14, 2006

DANVILLE, KY—The Centre College men’s cross country team is ranked among the nation’s best Division III cross country teams for the third straight year, ranking 25th in the latest U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association pre season poll, released Tuesday, Sept. 5.

Centre, the only team from the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) on the list, received 85 votes, finishing nine votes out of the 24th spot and 14 points out of the 22nd spot in the poll. The Colonels started at number 27 in the 2005 pre season poll.

Centre is coming off their best season in school history, winning the South/Southeast Regional Cross Country Championships and finishing 22nd at the Men’s 2005 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships. Also, the men's team returns three members of the 2005 all-SCAC team, seniors Eric Hack (Louisville, Ky.) and Anthony Lippert (Harrodsburg, Ky.), and sophomore Chase Wilson (Paducah, Ky.).

The men are off to a great start already this year finishing first out of five teams at the Centre College Invitational, Saturday Sept. 9 in Danville, Ky. and third out of 15 schools at the Sewanee Invitational hosted by Sewanee-University of the South, Saturday Sept. 2 in Sewanee, Tenn.

The Division III poll will be released weekly and will rank the top 35 men's and women's Division III cross country teams in the country. The poll will continue throughout the season up to the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, November 18, in West Chester, Ohio. Click here for the entire poll.

The next meet for the Colonels will be the NCAA Division III Pre-Nationals Friday, Sept. 22 in Mason, Ohio.

Men's soccer

The men's soccer team is the second Centre athletic team to be ranked nationally in 2006. Following a 3-0 start this year, the Centre men's soccer team has broken into the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/Adidas Division III National Rankings, placing 16th in the latest poll released Tuesday, Sept. 12.

The Colonels, currently on a nine-match unbeaten streak dating back to last year (8-0-1), have recorded three shutout wins in the early going. Even more impressive, Centre has not allowed a goal in the last 483:18, also dating back to 2005.

Along with being ranked nationally, the Colonels currently rank second in the latest NSCAA/adidas Division III Central Region rankings, behind only Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) foe Trinity University (Texas). Trinity is currently the number-one-ranked Division III team in the country. Click here for the entire poll.

Over the last eight years, Centre has been ranked nationally five times, with its highest ranking coming in 2002 when it was ranked 10th in the nation. The Colonels and Trinity are the only two schools from the SCAC to appear in the latest rankings.

Through three matches this year, the Colonels have out scored their opponents 9-0. Six different players have scored at least one goal and three have two goals. In addition five other players have recorded at least one assist.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

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