Official USTFCCCA Release


NEW ORLEANS – Three institutions hailing from the Great Midwest Athletic Conference in women's cross country are among the nation's best after the United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released its national preseason poll on Wednesday.
 
The Great Midwest is one just two Division II conferences with three teams in the top 25, matching the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference (GLIAC).
 
The Great Midwest also contributes to help the Midwest Region lead DII's eight regions with seven teams making the preseason top 25.
 
Hillsdale leads the G-MAC contingent at No. 11 while defending conference champion/league preseason favorite Walsh follows at No. 13 and Malone cracked the list at No. 24.
 
The USTFCCCA also produced its regional rankings for the preseason and all three schools mentioned above made an impact in the Midwest.
 
Hillsdale is ranked No. 2, Walsh is slotted at No. 4 and Malone comes in at No. 7, while 10 total teams are positioned in the Midwest Region rankings (G-MAC, GLIAC, Great Lakes Valley Conference).
 
Looking ahead, the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships are slated for Saturday, November 23rd in Sacramento, Calif. The national poll has no impact on selection for the national meet.
 
The NCAA Midwest Regional will be conducted in Evansville, Ind., shortly after the completion of the Great Midwest Championships 6K race, which will be hosted by Ursuline College in Pepper Pike, Ohio.
 
Walsh and Hillsdale both qualified as teams for the NCAA Championships field last year as part of the Division II Festival in Pittsburgh, Pa., at Schenley Park.
 
Both the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) each have four teams in the national preseason poll.