The team came in at No. 6 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Coaches Poll and No. 7 in both FloTrack and LetsRun.com. The No. 6 ranking is the highest in program history.
“The ranking is significant as it shows we are among the best in the country, but we will need to prove it on the course,” Coach Ron Helmer said.
Last year, the Hoosiers placed eighth at the NCAA Championships after winning the program’s first Big Ten title since 1980.
The team has finished in the top 10 in the country during three of the last four seasons.
IU will return all five scorers from last year’s NCAAs. Then-junior Evan Esselink led the team with a 45th-place finish, followed by teammates Jason Crist, Carl Smith, Matt Schwarter and JR Ricker.
Crist and then-junior Rorey Hunter were named First Team All-Big Ten in 2013. Hunter was the 1,500-meter outdoor champion on the track last spring.
Smith and Schwartzer earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors at the end of the season.
“This group made some history last year coming out of the shadows of some guys who graduated,” Helmer said.
The Hoosiers are host to the Indiana Open at the IU Championship Cross Country Course on Sept. 6 to open their season. Competition begins at 9:20 a.m.
Grace Palmieri
