The Little Giants took third place in the 2001 NCAC Men's Cross Country Championship race. Wabash has eight returning upperclassmen to begin the 2002 season, with eight freshmen expected to join the ranks when practice begins this weekend.
Senior Mark Sherer (Valparaiso, IN/Valparaiso) took tenth in last year's conference meet. Junior Dan Ruge (Chesterton, IN/Chesterton) was an All-Conference runner after taking 16th place last season. Junior Dan Sweet (West Bloomfield, MI/Culver Military Academy) finished 19th to earn a spot on the All-Conference team, as well.
Kenyon was picked to win the men's conference title again this season, capturing seven first-place votes and 88 points. Allegheny was picked to take second place (2 first-place votes, 81 points), while Wooster took the third spot (69 points). The Little Giants scored 65 points in the pre-season rankings, with Denison (55 points), Oberlin (44 points), and Ohio Wesleyan (30 points) falling behind. Earlham and Wittenberg tied for eighth in th poll with 24 points, while Hiram rounded out the rankings with 15 points.
Wabash opens the 2002 season with the annual Alumni meet on Saturday, August 31 at 9 a.m. The first official competition of the season will be the annual Hokum Karem race held on the Wabash campus on Saturday, September 7 with the men's race beginning at 10:30 a.m.