WALTHAM, Mass. – The Bentley University men's cross country has been ranked third preseason among NCAA Division II East Region teams by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), which mirrors the team's finish in last year's regional championship.

The number three ranking is two places higher than Bentley placed in the Northeast-10 Conference preseason coaches' poll.

Top three in the region has more importance this year as that is the number of teams who will advance to the NCAA Championships. Last year, only two advanced and Bentley missed out by one place.

UMass-Lowell and Stonehill were 1-2 in both rankings, and the regional top five also included American International and Southern Connecticut State. Those two teams switched order in the NE-10 poll, with the Southern Owls and the AIC Yellow Jackets placing third and fourth.

UMass-Lowell and Stonehill were separated by only two points, and Bentley, with 171 points, was just 13 back of Southern Connecticut.

Second-year coach Kevin Curtin could have an all-senior top five, especially if Curtis Trueb (Eastchester, N.Y./Eastchester HS) is healthy. He missed all of last season after placing 11^th in the 2010 NE-10 Championships and 25^th in the Regional that year.

Rob Dextradeur (Branford, Conn./Branford HS) and Craig Robinson (Scarborough, Maine/ Scarborough HS) are the team's top returnees from last year. They were 15^th and 16^th in the regional, and in the top 26 in the conference event.

Bentley's first action this fall is Sept. 8, the Shacklette Invitational at Saint Anselm College. Le Moyne College will host the Northeast-10 Championships Oct. 20 and the NCAA Regional will be 15 days later in Nashua, N.H.

NORTHEAST-10 PRESEASON COACHES POLL

(First place votes in parentheses)

USTFCCCA DIV. II EAST REGION RANKINGS

1. UMass-Lowell; 2. Stonehill; 3. Bentley; 4. American International; 5. Southern Connecticut; 6. Adelphi; 7. Felician; 8. LIU Post; 9. Molloy; 10. Merrimack.