LOS ANGELES -- A young Cal State LA women's cross country team has been picked to finish 11th in the California Collegiate Athletic Association in a preseason poll of coaches released on Thursday.
The Golden Eagles will have a completely new team in 2022 from the squad they fielded in 2021. A familiar face, though, is back as
Serena Duenas returns after being one of the program's top runners as a freshman in 2019. She was the team's No. 2 runner at regionals that year.
The Golden Eagles also have some talented members of the track team on the roster this year as
Aazalet Danage,
Sanaia Woods and
Sandra Vargas will make their Cal State LA cross country debuts this season.
The rest of the team are newcomers, including
Crystal Duenas, Serena's younger sister,
Ashanti Gaither,
Justice Goon,
Riyanna Jackson,
Amelia Mercado and
Vanessa Monrreal.
Chico State and Stanislaus State each received five first-place votes in the CCAA women's cross country preseason coaches poll, but it was the Wildcats that earned the nod as the early favorites heading into the 2022 season.
Chico State collected 109 points in the coaches poll to edge out Stanislaus State 109-103. Stanislaus State snapped a lengthy string of conference championships by Chico State last season, capturing the program's first-ever conference title.
Despite the other two teams receiving all the first-place votes, Cal State San Marcos was right behind in the poll with 97 points. They are coming off a third-place finish at the CCAA Championships and a sixth-place finish in the regional.
Cal Poly Pomona finished fourth in the preseason poll with 88 points. Seven letterwinners return on a Broncos' roster that features just two upperclassmen.
Cal State East Bay finished fifth in the poll with 76 points, while Cal Poly Humboldt picked up the remaining first-place vote and was picked to finish sixth with 64 points.
The 2022 CCAA Championship host, Cal State Monterey Bay, placed seventh in the polls with 58 points.
It was a very tight race for the eighth spot as four teams finished within 12 points. Cal State San Bernardino earned the nod for eighth place with 38 points. San Francisco State followed with 35 points, and Sonoma State finished 10th with 32 points, just ahead of Cal State LA with 26 points.
The CCAA is again expected to be the best women's cross country conference in the West Region. Four CCAA teams were listed in the top 10 on the USTFCCCA/Division II rankings, which were released earlier this week. Stanislaus State sits second, one place ahead of Chico State. Cal State San Marcos was voted to the No. 6 position, and Cal State East Bay earned the 10th and final spot.
The USFTCCCA also released its national rankings on Tuesday, and three CCAA teams were listed among the nation's elite. Stanislaus State is ranked No. 11, followed by Chico State at No. 17. Cal State San Marcos made the list at No. 27.
The 2022 season starts with six of the 11 teams in action this weekend. Cal State LA and Cal State San Marcos compete at the Mark Covert Classic in Brea, while Cal State East Bay and Stanislaus State compete in the USF Invitational. Cal Poly Pomona will be at the Redlands Invitational, and Sonoma State will host its own invitational. Chico State will open its season on Sept. 24 at the Cougar Challenge hosted by Cal State San Marcos.
All 11 teams will come together to compete for the 2022 CCAA Championship, hosted by Cal State Monterey Bay, on Nov. 5. This will be the first meet of the postseason with NCAA West Regionals following two weeks later (Nov. 19) in Billings, Mont.
