MACON, Ga. (Oct. 9, 2007) - After a month in which Belmont's men's cross country team held the unanimous number one slot in the Atlantic Sun's bi-weekly coaches poll, the ETSU Buccaneers have charged its way into a race for the top spot in the conference rankings, as the league office announced the updated poll Tuesday.

The Buccaneers were selected third behind Belmont and Kennesaw State in the original preseason poll back in August; however, after showing the conference members what they are made of, ETSU has been gaining respect around the league. ETSU quickly moved past the Owls in the league's first bi-weekly poll, and now the Buccaneers are making noise as they are beginning to breathe down Belmont's neck after receiving three first-place votes in the most recent ballot. The Bucs have tallied 132 votes and only trail the Bruins by nine total votes.

ETSU holds the four fastest 8K times in the league, as sophomore Kenneth Rotich (Nairobi, Kenya), juniors Jeff Crane (Taylors, S.C.) and Michael Deren (Blasdell, N.Y.) and senior Jordan Ladd (Lyn, Ontario) all posted the highest conference marks two weeks ago with its seventh-place finish at the Greater Louisville Cross Country Classic. Rotich, a two-time Atlantic Sun Runner of the Week winner this season, holds the league's fastest mark with his time of 24:32. The Bucs' two through four runners are within 40 seconds of Rotich's mark.

The Bucs return to action this Saturday when they compete at the Furman Invitational. This meet marks ETSU's final test before they look to end Belmont's five-year run as Atlantic Sun champions. ETSU will have one final time to inch closer with the Bruins in the coaches' poll before the conference championship, as the final ballot is going to be released on Tuesday, Oct. 23.   

The Atlantic Sun Conference is a 12-member league committed to Building Winners for Life, with a focus on academic and athletic integrity and a balance between the two for the student-athlete, and maintaining a high level of sportsmanship. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun encompasses six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun consists of some of the most dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Gardner-Webb University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.