INDIANAPOLIS – Cedarville is in a familiar position at the top of a new Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women’s Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour that was released Monday.
 
The Great Midwest is yet to experience a men’s or women’s cross country team champion other than the Yellow Jackets, who began their dominant run in 2012.
 
The Yellow Jackets reeled in 10 of the possible 13 first-place votes for a total of 152 points in the coaches balloting.
 
Cedarville placed 11th as a team at the NCAA Division II Championships in Saint Leo, Fla., last year while placing runner-up at the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional.
 
Cedarville’s Olivia Esbenshade finished out her accomplished career as the G-MAC Runner of the Year while all-conference performers Carsyn Koch, Kayla Casaletto, Olivia Kundo and Christy Jesson, return in the order they placed at nationals.
 
Preseason coaches poll runner-up Hillsdale was also an NCAA Championships team qualifier last season and the Chargers would finish 17th out of 32 teams in the mix. The Hillsdale men were tabbed first in the other cross country preseason coaches poll that was released earlier this afternoon.
 
The Hillsdale women collected two first-place votes for 142 points while Malone, last year’s conference runner-up received the other first-place vote.
 
Malone was voted into the USTFCCCA Top-25 Coaches Poll last year as high as No. 15 in the country and return a quartet of all-conference runners in the form of Hannah Campbell, Rachel Wentworth (G-MAC Freshman of the Year), Laura Tweedie and Hannah Thompson.
 
Walsh checks in at fourth while this year’s Great Midwest Championships host, Trevecca Nazarene, rounds out the top five. The Trojans have two-time G-MAC Runner of the Year Caroline Hampton (2014, 2015) to lead an experienced unit with Biz Mclendon and Danielle March also earning all-conference accolades.
 
Findlay matched its men’s selection of sixth while Alderson Broaddus almost made the top half of the ballot.
 
First-year league member Ohio Dominican was slots in at eighth followed by Davis & Elkins and Ohio Valley to round out the top 10. Lake Erie and Ursuline each tied for 11th with 47 points apiece and Kentucky Wesleyan concluded the preseason poll.
 
2017 Great Midwest Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour
 

School	Points
1. Cedarville (10 first-place votes)	152
2. Hillsdale (2 first-place votes)	143
3. Malone (1 first-place vote)	136
4. Walsh	130
5. Trevecca Nazarene	107
6. Findlay	103
7. Alderson Broaddus	86
8. Ohio Dominican	81
9. Davis & Elkins	66
10. Ohio Valley	49
t11. Lake Erie	47
t11. Ursuline	47
13. Kentucky Wesleyan	36