By Tim Glon

The Ohio Northern men were picked to finish third and the women fourth in the 2014 Ohio Athletic Conference Cross Country Coaches Polls.

The Polar Bear men received 67 points and one first place vote.

Mount Union was selected as the league favorite with 81 points and nine first place votes. John Carroll was secone with 68 points and Otterbein was picked fourth with 54 points.

The ONU women received 60 points in the voting.

Mount Union is the preseason favorite to win the title with 80 points and eight first place votes, while Otterbein is second with 69 points and two first place votes and John Carroll is fourth with 65 points.

"It is nice to be picked among the top teams in the league," ONU head coach Jason Maus said. "But our goals remain the same this year as they are every year: to win the OAC title and compete at the NCAA Championships. No one has raced yet, so the polls really mean nothing. We are just excited to get the season started."

Both Ohio Northern squads will open their 2014 seasons on Friday night at the Bluffton Invitational at the Bluffton University Nature Preserve. The women's race begins at 6 pm with the men's following at 6:45 pm.