DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University men's and women's cross country teams are ready to begin their 2024 season. In the 2024 MVC Preseason Polls, the Bulldog women were slotted fourth while the defending champion men's squad took top honors.
 
Drake's men's contingency garnered seven first-place votes with 15 points and will enter the 2024 campaign as conference favorites. Both Bradley and Belmont each got a pair of first-place votes to come in second and third, respectively.
 
Illinois State (4th, 44 points), Indiana State (5th, 56 points), and Southern Illinois (6th, 62 points) round out the the top six for the men. UIC (7th, 80 points), Valparaiso (8th, 86 points), UNI (9th, 96 points), Murray State (10th, 106 points), and Evansville (11th, 118 points) conclude the poll.
 
Enzo Marie comes back to Des Moines after a top-four finish in the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Championship where he ran a time of 24:38.90. Marie was a top-25 finisher at the Midwest Regional. He's joined by veteran Aziz Jdai who also posted a top 10 placement at last year's MVC Championships. The Bulldogs will also introduce a handful of promising newcomers including Saint Louis transfer Harrison Martinenko, Iowa high school prep star Landon Bendgen, and others.
 
The Bulldog women were tabbed fourth in the MVC Preseason Poll with 46 points. They trail Illinois State (41 points) in third, Belmont (19 points) in second, and Bradley (18 points) taking top honors.
 
Missouri State (67 points) rounded out the top five. The women's poll is wrapped up by Indiana State (6th, 74 points), UNI (7th, 83 points), Southern Illinois (8th, 89 points), UIC (9th, 110 points), Murray State (10th, 115 points), Valparaiso (11th, 134 points), and Evansville (12th, 137 points).
 
2023 MVC Champion Brooke Mullins has moved on from Drake as a graduate transfer to Florida State University, but the Bulldogs will return plenty of women's contributors. Emilie Meyer comes back for her senior season after a top-20 finish at last year's XC championships. Anastasia Kirillov, plus multiple other returners, will add to Drake's cross country team.