BUIES CREEK, N.C. - Campbell's men's cross country team has been selected fourth in the Big South Conference's preseason coaches' poll as announced by the conference office on Wednesday morning.

The Camels received one first-place vote and 92 points overall to land in fourth place. The men placed third at the 2013 Big South Championships and will field a mixture of experience and youth this season, with three seniors alongside four freshmen on the roster.

Liberty, the owner of 15 Big South Conference championships, narrowly claimed the top spot in the poll with seven first-place votes and 116 points, edging High Point's 113 points and three first-place votes. Coastal Carolina rounded out the top three with 93 points, just ahead of Campbell.

The teams in fifth through eighth place are separated by only 19 points, spearheaded by UNC Asheville in fifth place with 70 points. Trailing just behind are Winthrop (sixth, 64 points), Radford (seventh, 53 points) and Longwood (eighth, 51 points).

Rounding out the final three slots in the poll are Gardner-Webb (ninth, 31 points), Charleston Southern (10th, 22 points) and Presbyterian (11th, 17 points).

Campbell will open its season on Friday, Aug. 29, as the Camels host UNC Wilmington in a head-to-head dual meet at 6:30 p.m. It will be the first cross country meet hosted in Buies Creek since the Campbell Invitational during the 2011 season.

The 2014 Big South Championships are set to be held on the campus of Gardner-Webb in Boiling Springs, N.C., at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1.

2014 Men's Cross Country Big South Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Liberty - 116 points (7)
2. High Point - 113 points (3)
3. Coastal Carolina - 93 points
4. Campbell - 92 points (1)
5. UNC Asheville - 70 points
6. Winthrop - 64 points
7. Radford - 53 points
8. Longwood - 51 points
9. Gardner-Webb - 31 points
10. Charleston Southern - 22 points
11. Presbyterian - 17 points