BOSTON – In a preseason poll conducted by the GNAC head coaches, the Suffolk women's cross country team has been selected to finish fifth, the league office announced Tuesday.

The preseason poll comes prior to the first gun of the 2017 season with a championship poll set to be released before the 2017 GNAC Championships, which will be hosted by Johnson & Wales at Colt State Park in Bristol, Rhode Island, Saturday, Oct. 28. 

Thanks to nine first place votes, Norwich is predicted to repeat with 141 points with Simmons' two first place nods putting the Sharks in second with 128 points. Emmanuel grabbed the final first place vote for 118 points and third place, while Johnson & Wales sits in fourth, 10 points ahead of Suffolk in fifth with 85. 

Suffolk enters a new cross country era as inaugural Track & Field/Cross Country Head Coach Will Feldman takes over the reins. The first-year head coach, who returned to his alma mater in which his name is scattered across the record books, welcomes back All-GNAC honorees from 2016 including reigning GNAC Rookie of the Year Emily Manfra and fellow first-team all-league selection Emma Weiss. 

The Feldman era opens this Saturday, Sept. 2 when Suffolk takes the course at the Roger William Invitational.