Men's Cross Country is ranked 32nd in eighth weekly USTFCCCA poll

By Tim Glon

ADA — The Ohio Northern men's cross country team is ranked No. 32 in the eighth weekly United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division III poll.

The Polar Bears (64-11) were ranked No. 31 in the sixth and seventh weekly polls the last two weeks.

ONU was No. 20 in weeks four and five after being No. 18 in the third weekly poll and No. 19 in the second poll on Sept. 24.

ONU received 44 points in the poll after receiving 38 points each of the last two weeks.

North Central (Ill.) is No. 1 for the seventh consecutive week with 280 points, with Wisconsin-LaCrosse second with 270 points, Geneseo State (N.Y.) third with 266 and Cortland State (N.Y.) fourth with 255 points.

The other Ohio Athletic Conference school to joins ONU in the national poll is Heidelberg at No. 24.

Last season, Ohio Northern was ranked as high as No. 9 in the poll before finishing 11th at the NCAA Division III Championships.

This marks the fourth consecutive season that the ONU Men's Cross Country squad has been ranked. In 2006, the team was ranked as high as No. 27, in 2007 the Polar Bears reached No. 10 and 2008 ONU was as high as No. 9.

ONU will return to action Oct. 14 when the Polar Bears will compete NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Championships at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind.

United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Weekly Poll - #8
Nov. 4, 2009