INDIANAPOLIS – Defending champion Hillsdale secured all possible first-place votes in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women’s Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour that was released on Tuesday.
 
The Chargers came out as a unanimous choice among the coaches with 13 first-place votes (schools cannot vote for themselves) as all 14 schools get ready for the new season. Hillsdale’s point total amounted to 169.
 
NCAA Championship qualifier Walsh received the other first-place vote in the balloting and the Cavaliers start as the preseason runner-up. Malone and Cedarville were a close margin for third and fourth and last year’s conference championship host, Trevecca, was set to round out the top five.
 
Davis & Elkins is ranked sixth, Findlay seventh and Alderson Broaddus reeled in 84 points to come in at eighth. The rest of the top 10 features Ohio Valley and first-year conference member Tiffin.
 
In order, the programs at Kentucky Wesleyan, Ursuline, Ohio Dominican and Lake Erie were slotted 11th through 14th, respectively, going into a new season.
 
While most of the men’s records stood the test of time, the women did their best to scramble the top marks as the Great Midwest sent both Hillsdale and Walsh to Evansville as national championship qualifiers.
 
Hillsdale’s Hannah McIntyre, Walsh’s Sarah Berger and Malone’s Jade Smith, stole the show with NCAA All-American performances on the biggest stage. All three standouts have graduated from their respective programs as the league awaits the new crop of stars to emerge.
 
The Chargers were seventh as a team at last year’s NCAA Championship meet, the best finish in conference history for qualifying teams. Walsh was in the top third of the field as well with a more than respectable 12th-place finish.
 
Great Midwest Coach of the Year Andrew Towne saw all five of his scored runners cross the line among the top 11. McIntyre was the conference meet runner-up while Great Midwest Freshman of the Year Maryssa Depies was fourth overall.
 
Arena Lewis, Christina Sawyer and Allysen Eads, were each on the all-conference team.
 
This year’s conference championship will be conducted at GlenOak High School in Canton, Ohio, with Walsh serving as the host institution.
 
The Great Midwest will also enjoy a strong presence at the region with Hillsdale hosting this year’s edition after Cedarville entertained the league, Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Great Lakes Valley Conference for the 2017 NCAA Midwest Regional.
 
The NCAA DII XC Championships will be held on Dec. 1 this year in Slippery Rock, Pa.

Great Midwest Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour
 

School	Points
1. Hillsdale (13 first-place votes)	169
2. Walsh (1 first-place vote)	154
3. Malone	143
4. Cedarville	138
5. Trevecca	119
6. Davis & Elkins	104
7. Findlay	85
8. Alderson Broaddus	84
9. Ohio Valley	72
10. Tiffin	56
11. Kentucky Wesleyan	44
12. Ursuline	41
13. Ohio Dominican	39
14. Lake Erie	26