DALLAS -- The LeTourneau men's cross country team was selected as the preseason favorite, while the women were picked fourth, as the ASC released its annual preseason polls on Friday.
Senior Walker Reeves and junior David Dugan were named Runners to Watch on the men's side. Junior Hope Greenwald and freshman Felice Mullinax were selected as Runners to Watch on the women's side.
LeTourneau, under first-year head coach Kevin Gideon, collected 15 points and three of the four first-place votes to garner the top men's spot in the poll. The YellowJackets finished fourth in 2023 and return two of the top runners in the conference in Reeves and Dugan. LeTourneau last won the league title in 2021. The LeTourneau women were picked fourth in the women's poll.
Reeves, a senior from Cushing, earned All-ASC first team honors in 2023. He had five top-five finishes on the year and set personal records in the 8k twice. Reeves earned first team All-ASC after placing third at 26:04.1 at the ASC Championships. He won the ETBU Tiger Invitational (Oct. 7) with a then-personal best time of 25:48.1 and was a three-time ASC Runner of the Week award winner (Sept. 26, Oct. 10, Oct. 17).
Dugan, a junior from Lake Oswego, Ore., earned second team All-ASC honors after placing eighth at the conference meet. The junior won the Nicole Leman Invitational (Sept. 2) for a second straight year with a three-mile time of 15:34.4. He was ninth at the McNeese Cowboy Stampede with a time of 20:42.02 in the four-mile. Dugan was the ASC Freshman of the Year in 2022 and is a two-time All-ASC honoree.
Greenwald, a junior from Tucson, Ariz., was a second team All-ASC honoree last season after placing 13th in the conference meet. The junior led the team in all meets and won the Nicole Leman Invitational (Sept. 2) for a second straight year with a three-mile time of 19:46.4. Greenwald was named ASC Runner of the Week on Sept. 26 after placing 15th at the McNeese Cowboy Stampede (Sept. 23) with a 5k time of 19:47.8. She had four top-15 finishes on the year.
Mullinax, a freshman from Columbia City, Ind., enters her first year with the YellowJackets and looks to make an impact. During her high school career, she earned all-conference honors in cross country and was a conference champion in the 800-meter event on the track.
LeTourneau opens the season on Aug. 30 by hosting the seventh annual Nicole Leman Invitational (6:30 p.m.).