Men’s Cross Country selected for runner-up finish at 2018 OAC Championships by conference coaches

By Blake Moore

|  2018 OAC Coaches Preseason Poll (.pdf) |

ADA – After earning the program's third consecutive OAC Championship in 2017, the Ohio Northern men's cross country team has been chosen by the league's 10 head coaches to finish second in this season's rendition of the conference championships, the OAC office announced Wednesday morning.

Northern received 71 points and three first-place votes in the 2018 OAC Cross Country Preseason Poll, narrowly missing the top spot held by league favorite John Carroll (72 points, four first-place votes). Otterbein rounded out the top-three programs, registering 68 points and two first-place votes. 

Last season, the Polar Bears claimed the OAC Championship title after posting 33 points at the conference meet, eclipsing runner-up Mount Union by 28 points.

Ohio Northern would continue their postseason success with a third-place finish at the NCAA Division III Regionals. From there, they received a team bid to the 2017 NCAA Championships where they wound up 19th.

The Polar Bears are scheduled to open the 2018 season under 10th-year head coach Jason Maus when they compete in the Bluffton 5k Invitational on August 31 at 6 p.m.

OAC Coaches Preseason Poll

August 15, 2018