BRIDGEPORT — The University of Charleston has been picked as the preseason favorite in the 2025 Mountain East Conference men’s cross country poll, the league announced Thursday.

UC (97 points) narrowly edged Davis & Elkins (94 points) for the top spot in the annual preseason poll, which was compiled following a vote of the MEC’s 11 head coaches. The Golden Eagles received seven first-place votes, while the Senators had four.

Davis & Elkins is the reigning team champion after having five of the top eight finishers at the 2024 conference meet. Charleston had three of the top six finishers to place second overall in team points. That change atop the men’s cross country results ended the Golden Eagles’ six-year run as MEC champions.

In last season’s Division II Atlantic Region meet, Davis & Elkins outlasted Shippensburg for the title. UC placed third.

Following Charleston and Davis & Elkins in the 2025 preseason poll were Concord (75 points), Frostburg State (69 points), and West Virginia Wesleyan (60 points). Glenville State and West Liberty were tied for sixth, followed by Fairmont State, Point Park, Wheeling, and West Virginia State.

The 2025 MEC men’s cross country season is set to begin Thursday, Sept. 4. The 2025 MEC Championships will be held Saturday, Oct. 25, on the Crispin Golf Course at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, West Virginia.