Women's Cross Country picked to finish second, Men fifth in 2023 OAC Coaches Polls

By Tim Glon

| 2023 OAC Coaches Preseason Poll / Runners to Watch (.pdf) |

ADA – The Ohio Northern women's cross country team was picked to finish second and the men's cross country team has been picked to finish fifth in the Ohio Athletic Conference in a poll conducted by the league's 10 coaches.

The Polar Bears received 69 points in the women's poll, trailing only John Carroll (81 points - nine first-place votes).

Mount Union was picked to finish third with 68 points and the remaining first-place vote and Baldwin Wallace was picked fourth with 58 points.

The ONU men received 54 points. John Carroll was picked to win the league with 81 points and nine first-place votes, Mount Union was picked second with 69 points and one first-place vote and Otterbein was picked third with 64 points.

The polls also highlighted two runners to watch for the women's and men's teams at each school.

ONU was represented by junior Ashley Hockstok (Westerville/Central) and senior Megan Vapenik (Strongsville) on the women's side and senior Kyle Roth (Rockford/Parkway) and junior Trey Masterson (Tiffin/Hopewell Loudon) on the men's side.

Hockstok was among ONU's top seven runners in all seven varsity events in 2022 and capped her year with All-OAC and All-Region accolades. She finished 21st at the regional meet with a time of 22:04, which ranks fifth all-time at ONU, and was 16th at the OACs in 24:05.

Vapenik was fourth-best among ONU runners and 50th overall at the 2022 regional meet with a career-best time of 22:43, which ranks 13th in school history. She led the Polar Bears across the finish line at the Oberlin Regional Rumble, placing 32nd in 23:16, and was a top-seven finisher among ONU runners in all six events in which she ran.

Roth led ONU across the finish line in six events in 2022, posting three top-10 finishes overall. He ran a team-best 26:58 to finish 13th and earn Second Team All-Conference honors at the OAC Championships and was Northern's top finisher at the regional meet, placing 47th with a personal-best time of 25:18.

Masterson finished among ONU's top seven in all seven events last season. He led the Polar Bears across the finish line at the Wittenberg Invitational, placing fifth overall with a time of 26:44, was 30th at the OAC Championships with a time of 27:39 and ran a career-best 25:32 at regionals to place 72nd.

In 2022, the Ohio Northern women were 119-23 and finished second in the OAC, and the men were 111-37 and were fifth at the OAC.

The Polar Bears will open their 2023 seasons on Sept. 1 at the Bluffton Beaver Dam Invitational under 15th-year head coach Jason Maus.

August 22, 2023

OAC Women's Coaches Preseason Poll

OAC Men's Coaches Preseason Poll