On Tuesday, the East Coast Conference released its annual preseason coaches poll for Women's and Men's Cross Country. Both St. Thomas Aquinas College programs have been selected to finish second, in a poll conducted among the conference's coaches. In addition, Abagaile Kimbrell has been named the ECC Women's Cross Country Preseason Runner of the Year.
When the Spartans kick off their 2021 season in mid-September, it will be the first time that STAC will be in action on a competitive course in almost 22 months. The on-going COVID-19 pandemic scuttled plans to hold a season in the fall of 2020, but that has not stopped Head Coach Ray Kondracki and his squad from preparing for what could be a very successful 2021 campaign.
On the women's side, All-Conference and All-Region runner Abagaile Kimbrell returns to Sparkill with aspirations of a return trip to the NCAA National Championships, following a stellar 2019 season. Kimbrell rejoins another All-Conference member, Gabriella Mott, along with teammates Kalesha Darisme, Linise Greene, Nicole Gysin, Christina Maretzo, Skylar Moreno, Ruby Pekin-Schlicht and Madison Roth.
Five new faces join a mostly veteran core, as Ciara Durcan (Fr./Orangeburg, NY), Sofia Echeverria (Jr./Bardonia, NY/SUNY Potsdam), Grace Gregory (Fr./Nanuet, NY), Lesley Marcin (Jr./Hackensack, NJ/St. Thomas University) and Emma Neil (Fr./Spring Valley, NY) make their STAC Cross Country debuts this fall.
Meanwhile, the men's squad features eight returners, including Daniel Agostinho-Vides, Andrew Drescher, Jorge Dutan, Cesar Juarez, Kieran Keenan, Alexander Quillan, Jack Terry-Kantor and Matthew Tina.
Freshmen Charlie Moore (San Francisco, CA) and James Polisena (Stony Point, NY) round out an experienced roster, ready to battle conference and regional foes.
STAC opens their 2021 season at the Fordham Fiasco/Ed Joyce Memorial on September 11. The event will be held at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, NY.
2021 ECC Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll
| School | Pts. |
| 1. Roberts Wesleyan (7) | 74 |
| 2. St. Thomas Aquinas (1) | 69 |
| 3. Molloy | 59 |
| 4. Daemen | 52 |
| 5. Queens | 40 |
| 6. Dist. Columbia (1) | 37 |
| 7. D'Youville | 29 |
| 8. Staten Island | 26 |
| 9. Bridgeport | 19 |
() - first place votes
ECC Women's Cross Country Preseason Runner of the Year: Abagail Kimbrell, St. Thomas Aquinas
2021 ECC Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll
| School | Pts. |
| 1. Roberts Wesleyan (8) | 64 |
| 2. St. Thomas Aquinas | 51 |
| 3. Molloy | 47 |
| 4. Daemen | 38 |
| 5. Queens | 32 |
| 6. Staten Island | 28 |
| 7. D'Youville | 20 |
| 8. Bridgeport | 8 |
( ) - first place votes
ECC Men's Cross Country Preseason Runner of the Year: Shane Pease, Roberts Wesleyan