FAIRFAX, Va. – With its season set to begin this weekend, the George Mason men's cross country team is already receiving recognition from its conference and regional peers.

On Tuesday, the Patriots were picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic 10 Conference coaches preseason poll. The day before, they landed in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Preseason Regional Rankings, ranked 14th in the Southeast Region.

Last year, Mason finished fifth at the Atlantic 10 Cross Country Championships and 12th (out of 32) at the NCAA Division I Southeast Region Cross Country Championships.

“I think we have the potential to be, certainly better than we ran at the A-10s last year,” head coach Andrew Gerard said. “That was probably our worst race all season. We just panicked and didn't do a couple things right… We certainly feel like we could have run a lot better at the A-10s last year. I hope the guys look at that (A-10 preseason ranking) and are a little less than pleased and feel like they have a little chip on their shoulder and something to prove.”

The Patriots return sophomore Grayson Morgan, junior Logan Miller and seniors Adam LaFemina and Brent Coulter. Morgan (19th), Miller (27th) and LaFemina (40th) all finished in the top 40 at the 2015 A-10 Championships. Coulter took fourth at the A-10 Championships in 2014.

The George Mason women were picked to finish 10th in the A-10 Conference coaches preseason poll. The Patriots took 11th at the 2015 A-10 Championship. Sophomores Ciara Donohue and Carolyn Conley and senior Amber Hawkins lead the Patriots.  

The Mason men's and women's cross country teams open their season with the Spider Invitational, hosted by the University of Richmond, at 9 a.m. on Saturday in Mechanicsville, Va.

Atlantic 10 Men's Preseason Poll

1.       Saint Joseph's

2.       Davidson

3.       La Salle

4.       Massachusetts

5.       George Mason

6.       Saint Louis

7.       Duquesne

8.       Fordham

9.       Dayton

10.   Richmond

11.   George Washington

12.   Rhode Island

13.   VCU

14.   St. Bonaventure

Atlantic 10 Women's Preseason Poll

1.       Richmond

2.       Duquesne

3.       Massachusetts

4.       La Salle

5.       Saint Louis

6.       George Washington

7.       Davidson

8.       Saint Joseph's

9.       Dayton

10.   George Mason

11.   Fordham

12.   Rhode Island

13.   VCU

14.   St. Bonaventure