HCAC Announces Men's and Women's Cross Country Preseason Polls

DEFIANCE, OHIO - The annual Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference coaches' poll for men's and women's cross country was announced Wednesday morning. The Defiance College men and women were each picked to finish 10th in the polling. 

Defending champion Rose-Hulman claimed the top spot in the men's poll, receiving 80 points and eight first place votes. Manchester, Hanover, Earlham, and Franklin found themselves rounding out the top five. The Yellow Jackets gathered 12 points in the polling, just three points shy of Mount St. Joseph. 

On the women's side, Manchester the defending 2018 champion, similarly landed first in the polling with 74 points and five first place votes. Bluffton gathered 20 points and two first place votes while Rose-Hulman took 64 points and one first place vote. A tie for eighth saw Anderson and Mount St. Joseph nudge Defiance to the 10th place result. 

On the "Runners to Watch" list on the men's side of action, junior Tyler Hines (Cincinnati / Northwest) made the sole Yellow Jacket appearance. Hines is coming off a 2018 season that saw him run multiple personal bests including an 8k of 31:58.8. 

The women's team landed two names on their respective list. With a handful of fresh faces on the Purple and Gold roster, freshmen Carmen Caldwell (Brownstown, Mich. / Woodhaven) and Autumn Saddler (Sheffield Lake / Brookside) were dubbed the runners to watch for DC this season. 

The Defiance College cross country programs are set to begin the 2019 season on August 30, as they visit Bluffton for the Beaver Dam Invite at 10:45 am. 

Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll

Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll