LANCASTER, Pa. - The Ursinus College men's cross country team was picked seventh in the Centennial Conference preseason poll, the league office announced on Wednesday. 

The Bears trail sixth-place Gettysburgh by five points (29) and fifth-place Muhlenberg by nine points (33). Five-time defending champion Haverford led the preseason poll with six first-place votes and 62 points total. Johns Hopkins earned three first-place votes, finishing second with 59 points. 

After back-to-back seventh-place finishes at the conference meet, the Bears will look to take the next step in 2019 after building momentum at the end of last season. As a team, the men saved their best performance for last, placing three of its runners in the top 100 and setting a new program record by finishing 19th at the NCAA Mideast Regional. Along with senior James McDaid's top-50, 42nd place finish, classmate John Haase placed 76th.

Last season, McDaid made history as the first Ursinus runner to garner all-conference recognition at the Centennial Conference Championship. McDaid completed the 8-kilometer course in 26:11.5 to land in 14^th place - the highest conference individual standing in school history. 

The Bears graduate just two seniors from last season and will get plenty of contribution from a plethora of underclassmen. 

The Ursinus men's cross country team begins its season on August 30 at the Bryn Mawr Invitational in Media, Pa. 

2019 Centennial Conference Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll