The men enter the 2012 season seeking their 14th straight winning season and their third Ohio Athletic Conference title in the last five years.
Fourth-year head coach Jason Maus welcomes back 10 lettermen from last year's squad that went 102-33 and won the OAC crown.
"Our goal, first and foremost, is to win the Ohio Athletic Conference championship," Maus said. "That is always one of our primary goals. We also want to compete as a team at the NCAA III Championships. The guys already are gunning for a better performance at the NCAA Regionals."
Confidence is extremely high, as ONU returns five All-Conference runners from a year ago, led by seniors Michael Simmons and Ben Ankrom.
Simmons was a First Team All-OAC selection and finished sixth at the OAC Championships, while Ankrom was a Second Team All-OAC honoree and had the fastest time on the squad a year ago.
Ankrom's 25:12 at the Calvin (Mich.) Knight Invitational makes him the eighth-fastest runner in ONU history.
Juniors Mark Berton and Evan McKee both earned Second Team All-Conference honors by finishing 13th and 18th, respectively, at the 2011 OAC Championships meet.
Sophomore Nathan Rosenbaum led ONU across the finish line at the conference championships, finishing fourth in 26:04.
Senior Kenton Holliday also posted a top-20 finish at the 2011 OAC Championships, giving Maus six of his top seven runners from a year ago at his disposal in 2012.
Senior Tobias Deardorff also returns after a one-year absence.
"We have good leadership and experience under our belts this fall," Maus said. "We have a strong schedule against very good competition all over the country, so we hope to be well tested heading into the post-season."
ONU will open the season Sept. 1 with the ONU Invitational on campus and will travel to Michigan, Massachusetts, Wisconsin and Indiana for meets this year.
