INDIANAPOLIS – Great Midwest Athletic Conference men’s and women’s cross country programs are earning preseason recognition from the United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association in the organization’s annual polls revealed this week.
Cedarville’s women’s cross country program starts the year ranked 12th nationally, the highest preseason ranking for a Great Midwest institution in the sport in league history. The Yellow Jackets finished last season with an impressive 11th-place team finish at the NCAA DII Championships in Florida.
Hillsdale’s women checks in at No. 15 in the national poll as well as the Chargers prepare to embark on their first year of Great Midwest competition. Malone received an unofficial ranking of 26th after leading all teams in the receiving votes category.
Hillsdale and Walsh represented the men in the USTFCCCA Preseason Poll. The Chargers were the only Great Midwest school to receive a national ranking in both genders and will start the year ranked at No. 20.
Walsh was in the receiving votes category and will open the fall with the unofficial ranking of 27th in Division II.
The Midwest Region polls were also announced on Tuesday with three men’s programs and four women’s programs making their initial appearance.
Hillsdale headlined the men’s regional preseason rankings in fifth. The Chargers were the Great Midwest favorite in the preseason coaches poll.
Following Hillsdale was Walsh in sixth and five-team conference team champion Cedarville is sitting in ninth before the regular season gets underway this weekend. Grand Valley State’s men’s team tops the 10 regional teams ranked.
In a notoriously tough Midwest Region, the women are also well represented with Cedarville leading the way in third only behind Grand Valley State and Southern Indiana.
Hillsdale matched the men’s ranking with fifth for the women while 2016 conference runner-up Malone debuts at sixth and Walsh starts in ninth.