WSU men rise in poll

The Washington State University men’s cross country team is ranked sixth in the West Region latest Division I Cross Country Regional Rankings after having a strong seventh-place finish at the Indiana State University Pre-Nationals Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind., over the weekend.

The Cougar men ranked 13th in the West Region preseason poll and have been moving up steadily. They spent the previous two weeks ranked 10th in the West Region after earning a fifth-place finish at the Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis, Minn. The WSU men will carry this ranking into the Pac-10 Championships Oct. 30 in Long Beach, Calif.

Players of the week

Chelsey Hannesson of the Eastern Washington University women’s soccer team was named Co-Defensive player of the week by the Big Sky Conference after helping the Eagles to a 1-0-1 week and into sole possession of first place in the league standings just past the midway point of the Big Sky campaign.

Hannesson led a stellar defensive effort in a 1-0 win over Sacramento State on Sunday.

Sharing this week’s award with Hannesson is Portland State’s Toni Carnovale.

•Idaho’s Chelsea Small is the Western Athletic Conference offensive player of the week.

Small, a freshman from Solana Beach, Calif. broke open a 1-1 tie against Boise State with a goal in the 58th minute, then added an insurance score 23 minutes later to give Idaho a 3-1 win over the Broncos for the first time since 2003.

College football

Central Washington moved up to No. 2 in the American Football Coaches Association Division II national poll and are ranked first in the NCAA Division II Super Region Four ranking. Both polls were released Monday.