(FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.) - Piedmont, under the direction of fourth-year Head Coach Jeff Jenkins, was picked in the USA South Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll to capture the women's cross country title in 2017. Last season, the Lions took home the program's first USA South championship. Piedmont received five of 16 possible first place votes, to go along with 211 points. Head coaches do not vote for their own teams in the balloting.

The USA South will welcome several new additions to women's cross country this fall. Huntingdon College and Wesleyan College have added the sport to begin collegiate competition this season while Berea College, Brevard College and Pfeiffer University have established programs but are beginning their first season as USA South member institutions. Brevard and Pfeiffer are currently transitioning from NCAA Division II and are not eligible to compete for a championship for All-Conference accolades this season but their student-athletes will be invited to participate in the Conference Championship event.

Berea finished second in the balloting with 187 points and nine first place votes while Covenant College placed third with 183 points. Meredith College came in fourth with 179 points while Methodist University was right behind in fifth with 177 points and one first place vote. In sixth place was Maryville College with 146 points as Agnes Scott College with 139 points and Mary Baldwin University with 116 points rounded out the top-half of the poll. Grabbing the final first place vote in 12th place was Huntingdon College.

The women's cross country season gets underway on Friday, September 1st as nine teams are in action. The USA South Cross Country Championship will be held at TFS Farms in Tallulah Falls, Georgia hosted by Piedmont on Saturday, October 29. The women's 6,000-meter race is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. while the men's 8,000-meter race is scheduled to begin at Noon.