INDIANAPOLIS – New league member Hillsdale found itself headlining the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour that was released Monday.
 
The Chargers were picked at the top by a vote from the Great Midwest coaches. Hillsdale was slightly favored over Cedarville, which has assembled a streak of five straight conference titles since the Yellow Jackets’ reign originated in 2012.
 
The Great Midwest is yet to experience a men’s or women’s cross country team champion other than Cedarville. The Yellow Jackets were also underdogs in the 2016 preseason poll with Malone at the top.
 
Hillsdale grabbed eight first-place votes in the 12-team sport for a total of 128 points.
 
The Chargers enjoyed a strong postseason to close out 2016 that included a third-place finish at the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Championships and a 14th-place showing at the NCAA Championships in Saint Leo, Fla.
 
Senior Anthony Wondaal paced Hillsdale by crossing the line in 15th at the GLIAC Championships, seventh at the NCAA DII Midwest Regional and 21st at nationals for All-American status.
 
Wondaal’s 10K time of 30:56.80 to finish the year would have ranked third all-time Great Midwest history only behind Cedarville All-American Benjamin Tuttle. Hillsdale sophomore Joseph Humes was also the 2016 GLIAC Freshman of the Year.
 
Cedarville came second in the poll with 117 points and one first-place vote. The Yellow Jackets are this year’s host for the NCAA DII Midwest Regional and will be ready to defend their conference titles once again.
 
Cedarville still retains the rights to the only Great Midwest men’s national championship appearances done in 2012 and 2013.
 
Walsh garnered two first-place votes to start the year picked third. Malone earned the other first-place vote to come in fourth while retaining 2016 G-MAC Runner of the Year George McCartney and G-MAC Freshman of the Year Mike Jankowski. The Pioneers were the team runner-up at last year’s conference meet in Canton.
 
Davis & Elkins made considerable strides with a new coach in Jason Pyles and the Senators were rewarded with top-five placement in the preseason poll. New league member Findlay is sixth with 78 points.
 
Trevecca Nazarene, picked seventh, is serving as host for this year’s conference cross country championships in Nashville.
 
Lake Erie and Ohio Dominican are also new on the scene at eighth and ninth while Ohio Valley, Kentucky Wesleyan and Alderson Broaddus, round out the preseason coaches poll, respectively.
 
2017 Great Midwest Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour
 

School	Points
1. Hillsdale (8 first-place votes)	128
2. Cedarville (1 first-place votes)	117
3. Walsh (2 first-place votes)	115
4. Malone (1 first-place vote)	111
5. Davis & Elkins	82
6. Findlay	78
7. Trevecca Nazarene	71
8. Lake Erie	67
9. Ohio Dominican	53
10. Ohio Valley	49
11. Kentucky Wesleyan	34
12. Alderson Broaddus	31