NEW ORLEANS - The Wichita State women's cross country team is ranked ninth in the Midwest Region on the U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) preseason regional rankings, released Monday.

The rankings are for the 2011 NCAA Division I season, which the Shockers open Saturday, Sept. 3 by hosting the J.K. Gold Classic in Augusta, Kan.

The Shocker women's cross country team won a sixth-straight Missouri Valley Conference crown in 2010 and finished ranked 10th in the Midwest Region last season.

Iowa State holds the top spot in the Midwest Region preseason rankings, followed by Oklahoma State in second, Iowa (third), Minnesota (fourth), Tulsa (fifth), Kansas State (sixth), Kansas (seventh) and Nebraska (eighth). Northwestern rounds out the region's top-10 behind Wichita State. Missouri Valley Conference teams Illinois State (11th) and Missouri State (14th) also make up the Midwest Region's preseason top-15.

The national preseason coaches' poll will be released Tuesday and the next regional poll will be released Sept. 12.

For more information about Saturday's J.K. Gold Classic, click here.

- Wichita State -