Point Park picked 5th of 13 teams in RSC XC Preseason Poll; Season opener Sept. 1

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- Point Park University men's cross country opens up the 2023 season Sept. 1 at the St. Francis (Pa.) Invitational. The Pioneers were predicted fifth of 13 teams in the River States Conference this year. It's the same place the Pioneers ended last year, but now they are a year older with most of their team returning from 2022. The Pioneers received 94 total votes in the polling of the RSC head coaches.

The Pioneers are building on their fifth-place showing at the 2022 RSC Championship with several key returners. Point Park has back on the 2023 roster seven of its top 11 finishers from last year's conference meet. All seven of those top returners were either sophomores or freshmen last year, and the Pioneers take that experience into 2023. There are also two seniors and two freshmen on this year's squad. 

Team captains Elijah James and Jannik Windelband lead the team and are key members of a junior class that also includes Ramiro Ulunque and John Dyar as two-year contributors. Joshua Gosselin, Jordan Kullen and Gabe Ebersole are back as sophomores while Luke McKenna and Kodi Quimby join the team as freshmen. Veterans on the squad are seniors Dominic Zucco and Andy Schach and junior Emmanuel Akpoli. 

RSC newcomer Shawnee State (Ohio) was picked as the preseason conference favorite. The Bears come over from the Mid-South Conference, where they won the title last year. Shawnee State placed right in front of IU East, last year's RSC champ, the preseason poll. IU Kokomo, which was the RSC runner-up last year, came in third this preseason followed by Rio Grande and then Point Park. 

There are 13 schools in RSC cross country this year. That is an increase from 10 that competed in last year's conference championship. See below for the complete RSC preseason poll.

2023 RIVER STATES CONFERENCE MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY COACHES' PRESEASON POLL (AUG. 21)
(First-Place Votes in Parenthesis)