FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's cross country team was selected to finish second overall in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll while the women's cross country team was slated to finish fourth by league head coaches.

The A-10 Championships will be held on Nov. 2 at Oatlands Plantation in Leesburg, Va. 

"[On the men's side], we have an exciting group of returnees and several newcomers that could step in and replace and perhaps exceed last year's group," said head coach Andrew Gerard.

"For the women, this is perhaps the best group we've assembled in a long time here at Mason, maybe the best ever as a whole," said Gerard. "They have an excellent mix of young and old, experience and newcomers. It'll depend on how they progress and gel through the season but the possibilities are exciting."

The Mason men finished fifth at the Atlantic 10 Championships last season for its fifth top-five finish in the conference over the last six years. The Patriots return 10 letterwinners including rising seniors Thomas Amabile and Ethan Newland, who finished 28th and 39th at the A-10 Championships last year, respectively. 

Rising sophomore Síobhra O'Flaherty finished 15th to earn all-conference honors as the Mason women placed sixth in 2018 for their best finish since joining the A-10 in 2013. 

The men received 151 points including one first-place vote. La Salle, the second-place finisher at the 2018 A-10 Championships, was picked as the league favorite with 185 points and eight first-place votes.

The women are tabbed to finish fourth with 133 points and two first-place votes. This marks the Patriots' highest expected finish since joining the league in 2013. Richmond received 173 points and seven first-place votes to lead the pack, followed by Dayton (159) and La Salle (149).

Both Mason teams open the 2019 season at the Spider Invitational on Aug. 30 at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville, Va. The Patriots then return home for the Mason Invitational on Sept. 13 at Oatlands Plantation in Leesburg, Va.