LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's cross country team has been voted No. 3 in the PSAC preseason coaches poll and the USTFCCCA Division II Atlantic Region men's rankings. Perennial powers Edinboro and Lock Haven were voted first and second respectively in both polls.

Shippensburg returns just two of its top seven runners from last year's PSAC championship-winning squad that finished second at regionals and seventh at nationals. Reigning PSAC Coach of the Year Steve Spence is advising a 21-man squad that features just four seniors and three juniors.

Senior Stephen Schelander, the 2010-11 SU Student-Athlete of the Year, will be an integral returner. Schelander was the team's No. 2 runner at 2010 nationals and was the team's No. 1 runner at 2009 nationals. He finished second at the PSAC championship meet as the lead member of the title-winning SU quartet that crossed the finish line and also earned All-Region honors with an eighth-place finish.

Junior Matt Gillette was also a member of that PSAC title-winning foursome that simultaneously crossed the finish line a season ago. Gillette ran on the national championship DMR squad during the indoor season and earned outdoor All-America honors in the 1,500 meters. He was an All-Region runner with a 10th-place finish, serving as SU's No. 3 runner in all three championship meets.

Due to Shippensburg's high finish at last year's national championships, the top three teams at the 2011 NCAA regional meet will advance to compete at the 2011 NCAA national championships in Spokane, Washington.

The Raider harriers open their season on Saturday, September 3 with the 2nd Annual Galen E. Piper Alumni Open at the Shippensburg University cross country course. The men will race at 10:30 a.m. and the women will follow suit at 11 a.m.

PSAC Preseason Men's Cross Country Poll

1. Edinboro (7)
T2. Lock Haven (5)
T2. Shippensburg (3)
T4. California (Pa.)
T4. East Stroudsburg
6. Slippery Rock
7. Millersville
8. IUP
9. Kutztown
10. Bloomsburg
11. Mansfield
12. West Chester
13. Mercyhurst
14. Gannon
15. Cheyney

First-place votes are in parentheses.

USTFCCCA Division II Atlantic Region Men's Rankings

1. Edinboro
2. Lock Haven
3. Shippensburg
4. California (Pa.)
5. Wheeling Jesuit
6. East Stroudsburg
7. Slippery Rock
8. Millersville
9. West Virginia Wesleyan
10. Kutztown