Season Preview: Men’s Cross Country hoping to carry last season's positive momentum into 2023

By Wes Mayberry

| 2023 Men's Cross Country Schedule | 2023 Men's Cross Country Roster |

ADA — After a strong close to the 2022 season, the Ohio Northern men's cross country team is hoping to carry that momentum into 2023 under 15th-year head coach Jason Maus.

The Polar Bears capped 2022 with an overall record of 111-37 after placing fifth at the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships and ninth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regionals. That marked the team's 19th straight upper division finish at the OACs and 18th consecutive top-10 finish at regionals.

"We have a long history of being very competitive in the OAC and Great Lakes Region," Maus said. "That tradition is something that the men are very proud of and want to continue to be a part of. Those are certainly two meets that we target each year."

There is substantial carryover from that group, as the 2023 roster features nine returning lettermen, including six of the team's top seven finishers from both the conference and regional meets last year.

"We return a lot of experience from last year's team and had a lot of growth and improvement during the track and field season," Maus said. "So there are a lot of guys that are really motivated and excited to prove themselves this fall."

Senior Kyle Roth (Rockford/Parkway) is ONU's top returner after leading the team across the finish line in six of the seven varsity events in 2022 and posting three top-10 finishes overall. He ran a team-best 26:58 to finish 13th and earn Second Team All-Conference honors at the OAC Championships and was Northern's top finisher at the regional meet, placing 47th with a personal-best time of 25:18.

Junior Ryan Massie (Beavercreek) had a breakout 2022 postseason, finishing third and second, respectively, among ONU runners at the conference and regional meets. He finished 25th overall at the OACs with a time of 27:28 and ran a personal-best 25:27 for a 63rd-place finish at regionals. He placed among Northern's top seven runners in all seven events.

Junior Trey Masterson (Tiffin/Hopewell Loudon) joined Roth and Massie in finishing among ONU's top seven in all seven events last season. He led the Polar Bears across the finish line at the Wittenberg Invitational, placing fifth overall with a time of 26:44, was 30th at the OAC Championships with a time of 27:39 and ran a career-best 25:32 at regionals to place 72nd.

Seniors Jared Swartz (Columbia Station/Columbia), Braden Schaser (Fostoria/Lakota) and Aaron Guzman (Lebanon) and junior Corey Rinehart (Galena/Olentangy Berlin) were also among ONU's top finishers in the 2022 postseason.

Swartz was among ONU's top seven runners in six of seven events in 2022. He placed 26th at the OAC Championships with a time of 27:28 and was 107th at the NCAA Regionals in a career-best 26:03.

Schaser was among ONU's top seven in four of the five events he competed in last season. He placed 36th at the OAC Championships in 27:52 and was 121st at the regional meet in a career-best 26:18.

Guzman was the top Polar Bear runner at the 2022 Ohio Wesleyan Invitational, leading the junior varsity team with a fourth-place finish in a career-best 26:40. He was among ONU's top seven in two varsity events, including the OAC Championships where he placed 39th in 27:57.

Rinehart was among ONU's top seven in four events last season. He ran a career-best 26:01 for a 103rd-place finish at the NCAA regionals after posting a time of 28:02 to finish 41st at the OAC Championships.

Senior Ian Ackenhausen (Xenia/Legacy Christian Academy) and junior Isaac Schoen (Coldwater) round out the returning lettermen for 2023.

Ackenhausen and Schoen own career-best times of 26:38 and 27:17, respectively.

The Polar Bears open their 2023 season on Sept. 1 at the Bluffton Beaver Dam Invitational and will compete in four other regular-season events ending with the SUNY Geneseo Mike Woods Invitational on Oct. 14.

Northern will host the 2023 OAC Championships at Hillcrest Golf Club in Findlay on Oct. 28.

The 2023 NCAA Great Lakes Regionals are scheduled for Nov. 11 at Silver Creek Metro Park in Akron, and the NCAA Division III Championships are set for Nov. 18 at Big Spring High School in Newville, Pa.

"I think we have a good balance with our schedule this fall. We'll see a lot of competition within the state of Ohio, and we'll get out of the region later in the season. So we'll be challenged, but I think it will prepare us for the postseason," Maus said. "The OAC had five of the top nine teams in the region last year, and we expect this fall to be much of the same. It's a very good conference, and if you want to be competitive, you have to be at your very best."