Women’s cross country voted to finish second in conference preseason poll

PROVO, Utah – Following a poll of the nine head women's cross country coaches in the West Coast Conference, BYU was selected to finish in second place behind the University of San Francisco.

The Dons received seven first-place votes and 63 overall points, while BYU received one first-place vote with 56 overall points. The University of Portland also received one first-place vote with 51 overall points and is tabbed to finish third.

The conference also released the names of the 2012 Preseason All-WCC Team. BYU senior Stephanie Bills is the lone runner to represent BYU on the team. As a junior, Bills finished 14^th at the WCC Championships with a time of 21:39. She graduated last year with a degree in nursing but will return to use her last year of eligibility with the cross country team.

San Francisco led the conference in All-WCC selections with five runners. Portland followed closely behind with three runners, while BYU and Gonzaga had one runner each.

BYU placed second in conference standings in 2011 behind San Francisco. The Dons have captured the last three conference championships.

The preseason polls for the regional and national rankings will be posted Monday and Tuesday, respectively, at www.ustfccca.org/rankings/division-i-rankings.