ONU MEN RANKED 24th; WOMEN 18th IN NAIA XC PRESEASON RANKINGS

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After earning top-25 finishes in their respective NAIA National Championship meets last season, the Olivet Nazarene University men's and women's cross country teams earned the No. 24 and No. 18 ranking spots, respectively, in the NAIA Preseason Coaches' Top-25 Polls. The league office announced its selections Thursday morning.

For the complete NAIA Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Top-25 Polls, click HERE for the men and HERE for the women.

Along with St. Francis (Ill.), the ONU cross country teams were one of only two programs from the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) to receive preseason rankings. The Fighting Saints took the No. 17 spot on the men's side and the No. 10 ranking on the women's.

The Tiger men are returning the bulk of their team that placed 23rd at the national meet last season. The 2024 squad features four of the six CCAC all-conference members from last year, led by Flynn Prather who placed 66th at the NAIA National Championships during his junior season. He will be joined by Nick Janson, David Olmos, and Joey Puccillo on this year's squad.

The ONU women, who netted a second consecutive 24th place finish at nationals a season ago, will be led by Hannah Haag. The sophomore harrier had a stellar freshman season, leading ONU with a fourth-place finish at the CCAC Championship meet before cracking the top-100 at nationals by finishing 96th overall. Eleanor Fournier, Bella Hoffer, Lauren Smith, and Catherine White, the former CCAC Freshman of the Year, are all set to return to ONU this season.

The Tigers will open their seasons on Sept. 6 at the Lewis Early Bird in Romeoville, Ill. The men's race is set to begin at 6 p.m. CST with the men's race to follow.

--ONU—

*Contact: Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu