St. Bonifacius, MN – Both the Men's and Women's Cross Country teams earned well-deserved recognition following strong performances last season. 

On the men's side, the Polars were ranked third in the conference preseason poll with 26 points, finishing just one point behind Martin Luther, who claimed the second spot. 

The women's team, after their historic runner-up finish last season, returned six top 25 finishers from last year's UMAC Championship, including the reigning UMAC Champion, Ella Dufault. For the first time in program history, a Polars cross country team has been ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll. The women earned four first-place votes and lead the conference with 34 points.