By Drew Harris | UTAMavs.com

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The UT Arlington men's and women's cross country teams are ranked sixth and 11th, respectively, in the preseason Regional Team Rankings released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (UTSFCCCA) on Monday afternoon.

Both teams begin the season in the same positions within the South Central Region as they finished the 2014 campaign.

"Once again, it's a nice honor to be recognized in the preseason," UTA coach John Sauerhage said. "But we will have to prove ourselves worthy this fall. We are in an extremely competitive conference and a very tough region, and we will have to perform to the best of our abilities in order to achieve the type of success we are capable of."

The men's team, which is the preseason conference favorite, is the highest of the four teams from the Sun Belt that earned mention by the USTFCCCA. Other regionally ranked squads from the league include: South Alabama (No. 10 in South), Appalachian State (No. 13 in Southeast) and UL Lafayette (No. 14 in South Central).

The women's team, picked to finish second in the SBC, is the No. 2 group in the conference. Additionally, Arkansas State is No. 9 in the South Central Region, while Appalachian State is 12th in the Southeast.

UTA will open 2015 tomorrow at 7 p.m. the Bear Twilight Invitational hosted by Baylor. It will primarily serve to showcase the Mavericks' batch of men's and women's newcomers.