Central Islip, N.Y. – After coming in the top spot in the 2012 East Coast Conference Championships, the LIU Post men's and Roberts Wesleyan women's cross country teams have been named the preseason favorites as voted upon by the league's coaches. Juniors Scott Litts (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) from Dowling College and Gladys Kimutai (Eldama Ravime, Kenya) from New York Institute of Technology were named the ECC Preseason Runners of the Year for their respective gender.
On the heels of their fourth straight ECC Championship in 2012, the Pioneers captured eight of nine first place votes in the men's poll, finishing with 80 total points. LIU Post clinched their fourth straight title with four of the top 12 finishers at last year's championship meet.
Roberts Wesleyan earns the No. 2 spot in the men's poll with the final first place votes and 66 points. Molloy rounds out the top three with 63 points.
On the women's side, Roberts Wesleyan leads the way with seven first place votes and 93 points despite being ineligible to win the conference championship in their final year as provisional NCAA Division II members. The same scenario played out in 2012 with the Redhawks finishing first in the ECC Championship but they could not be crowned champions. Roberts Wesleyan returns four All-Conference members from 2012, including ECC Runner of the Year, Rachel Prutsman.
Coming in second place in the poll is reigning ECC Champion, St. Thomas Aquinas. The Lady Spartans, fresh off their second championship in three years, received two first place votes and finished with 89 points. LIU Post grabbed the final first place vote and finished with 86 points to round out the top three.
Litts, the 2011 ECC Rookie of the Year and a two-time All-Conference First Team member, was selected as the ECC Men's Preseason Runner of the Year. In last year's championship meet, Litts came in second place with a time of 26:12.90.
Kimutai earns her second straight Women's Preseason Runner of the Year award. In 2012, Kimutai earned her second selection to the All-Conference First Team after finishing second in the ECC Championship meet. Kimutai finished the race in 18:34.90, a little over one second behind Prutsman.
2013 ECC Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll
| School | Pts. |
| 1. LIU Post (8) | 80 |
| 2. Roberts Wesleyan (1) * | 66 |
| 3. Molloy | 63 |
| 4. Dowling | 48 |
| 5. St. Thomas Aquinas | 47 |
| 6. Queens | 38 |
| 7. Daemen * | 27 |
| 8. NYIT | 26 |
| 9. Bridgeport | 10 |
2013 ECC Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll
| School | Pts. |
| 1. Roberts Wesleyan (7) * | 93 |
| 2. St. Thomas Aquinas (2) | 89 |
| 3. LIU Post (1) | 86 |
| 4. Molloy | 63 |
| 5. Dowling | 54 |
| 6. NYIT | 51 |
| 7. Queens | 41 |
| 8. Daemen * | 40 |
| 9. District of Columbia | 31 |
| 10. Bridgeport | 17 |
( ) - first place votes
* - ineligible to win conference championship as NCAA provisional member
