NEW ORLEANS – Three Great Midwest women’s cross country teams are ranked in the first U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll of the season. Cedarville, Hillsdale and Walsh are all part of the Week 1 National Coaches’ Poll.
 
The YellowJackets moved up to No. 8 in the national poll this week after a solid start to the season at the Mike Baumer Classic. Cedarville finished fifth behind Division I competition at the event hosted by Wright State. The No. 8 ranking is the highest-ever for the Lady Jackets.
 
Under first-year head coach R.P. White, Hillsdale jumps one spot from its preseason ranking to No. 15. The Chargers have opened the fall season with first-place finishes in the Comet Open and the Calvin Knight Invite. Hillsdale has been led by sophomore Liz Wamsley who has finished first and second in her first two races this season.
 
Rounding out the Great Midwest representatives is Walsh. The Cavaliers sit a No. 23 in the first poll of the fall. That ranking is down one spot from the preseason poll, despite a first-place finish at the Wooster Invitational on Sept. 1, Walsh’s only race of the season thus far.
 
Cedarville will once again host its All-Ohio Championship on Sept. 16 which will feature eight other Great Midwest teams. Hillsdale will run its third race of the season on Sept. 30 when the Chargers travel to Michigan for the Lansing Invitational.