Buckeyes Ranked Fourth in Great Lakes Region by USTFCCCA – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/15/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
COLUMBUS, Ohio – With less than a week remaining until the opening of the 2009 season, the Ohio State men’s cross country team is already being recognized nationally as one of the best in the Midwest.
The United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released its annual preseason rankings Wednesday, featuring at fourth-place spot in the Great Lakes region for 13th-year head coach Robert Gary and the 2009 Buckeyes. The veteran squad, ranked behind No. 4 Wisconsin and Top 20 programs Butler and Michigan, is not ranked amongst the preseason Top 30, but did receive 12 votes in the opening week poll. The team will have ample opportunity to make a name for itself on the national stage, however, as four Big Ten teams (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and Penn State) are featured on the list.
“It’s great to be ranked so high,” Gary said of the team’s standing. “However, we ultimately want to be that high in mid-November when it is time to qualify for nationals.”
The Scarlet and Gray open the 2009 season Friday, Sept. 18 at the Mountaineer Open in Boone, N.C.
