ST. LOUIS – The Bradley men and Loyola women have been selected as the 2021 favorites via the annual Missouri Valley Conference cross country coach's preseason poll. The Braves men want to continue their run of dominance as they work towards their sixth conference title in seven years after Illinois State stopped that string in the Spring. The Rambler women are poised for a potential three-peat as the 2019 and spring 2021 champions have a strong case with their returning lineup.
 
Men's Preseason Poll

Bradley men's team tallied six first-place votes, which powered them to a total of 78 points. The Braves return five of their top seven, including their top four competitors. Sophomore Billy Hauenstein will attempt to improve on his sixth-place finish in his freshman season. While Charlie Parrish and Alec Danner's last season in Peoria could culminate in more All-MVC honors. In addition to the returners, the MVC should keep an eye out for the new additions of George Watson and Eddie Narbett as they could have an immediate impact in their first season.

The Bulldogs of Drake grabbed two of the remaining three first-place votes and finished with 70 points, which was good for second in the poll. The spring's third-place finisher gets back the MVC runner-up and track All-American Adam Fogg as well as their other All-American Isaac Basten. The Bulldogs also bring in a talented class of newcomers that feature two-time Olympian Pur Biel, graduate transfer Chris Pahnke and four freshmen.

The 2021 spring champion Illinois State garnered the final first-place vote and 62 points for a third-place ranking heading into the fall. The Redbirds have to replace three of their top five runners as MVC champion Kevin Koski, third-place finisher Kimathi Johnson and fifth-place runner Jack Anstey are no longer with the program. However, they are returning a solid lineup of top-25 finishers from the 2021 spring championship, including Charlie Wetzel, Jake Gillum and Matt Blanco. They are also bringing in some young talent that has the developmental potential to contribute by the season's end.

Loyola recorded the fourth spot in the poll with a total of 57 points. The Ramblers bring back the entirety of their top-five finishers from the spring championship, all of which are entering their senior season. Additionally, they bring in two quality newcomers with Kansas transfer Jack Slaughter and Minnesota State Track Champion Gabe Smit.

After not competing in the spring championship, Southern Illinois garnered 39 points which were enough for fifth in the standings. As Ethan Senti, Dawson Smith and Noah McIntyre headline the team, the Salukis may be returning their most talented lineup in years. Meanwhile, Reid Parsons, Uriag Gutherie and Travis Hart, plus newcomers Josh Delgado and Vincent Van Eck, add valuable depth.

Indiana State and their 33 points have them as the sixth-best squad heading into the season despite not competing in the spring and finishing eighth in 2019. The Sycamores have the task of replacing two of their stronger runners. Still, they retain many other high-level performers, such as Cale Kilian, Jackson Krieg and Justin Niederhaus. They also have six new members joining their ranks that could immediately insert themselves into the top five.

Northern Iowa, Valparaiso and Evansville round out the poll with 30, 27 and nine points, respectively.

Northern Iowa returns three of their top-five, including their top two runners in Andrew Kephart and Sam McCool. UNI brings in Caleb Schumaker and Brady Griebel who'll attempt to take the spots of Logan Murray and Drake Henrichs.

Valparaiso secured the eighth spot as they tout the spring's 10th place finisher, Eric Carothers, and another top-25 runner, Ignacio Velos. The Beacons did lose one of their top competitors but look to rely on fifth-year Nate Izewski and incoming freshman Alex Cartagena to make up the gap.

The final spot of the poll goes to Evansville. The Purple Aces have a young and eager team that has competition for the coveted top five positions. Peter Epur will be the team's leader. At the same time, Carson Kline and Ryan Melvin's leadership should play a part in shaping the young team's season.
 

 
Women's Preseason Poll

Loyola's women's team is set as the favorite for the 2021 fall season as the Ramblers garnered nine of the 10 first-place votes and a total of 99 points. The two-time defending champions have their entire team coming back, which means they have four of the top five MVC Championship finishers. This including two-time MVC Champion and NCAA Qualifier Anneka Murrin, runner-up Kathleen Simms and eight-time All-Valley honoree Mimi Reimers. They also add a plethora of impact newcomers and Drake graduate transfer Elizabeth Aho.

The final first-place vote and 90 total points go to Bradley.  BU has five of its top six participants coming back for another shot at competing for a conference title. Headlining the bunch are top 10 finishers McKenzie Altmayer, Sophia McDonnell and Wilma Nielsen. The return of Tyler Schwartz and the addition of Nicola Jansen provide depth and quality that make them a strong side for the 2021 season.

With 76 points, Illinois State earned the closely contested third spot edging out the Bulldogs by two points. After finishing fourth in the spring, the Redbirds return the entirety of their top five coupled with a strong showing on the track, has them poised for a strong season. The team also brings in extra firepower with Lucie Grandjean, Lauren Schultze and Matti Plummer joining the ranks and give them depth in the coming season.

Drake wants to continue its ascent as they recorded their best team result since 2000 with a third-place finish in the spring. The Bulldogs have a strong core returning as their first, second, fourth and fifth place finishers are back. Freshman of the Year Brooke Mullins and junior Ashlee Siegle is at the top of the team's roster. Still, second-year runners Anastasia Kirillov and Bella Evan-Cook could break out in their sophomore season, while eight newcomers will also vie for a position in the lineup.

Northern Iowa suffers a blow as they lost their top runner in Tess Roorda. However, the fifth-place team in the poll grabbed 53 points thanks to key Panthers returning including Paige Holub, Kate Crawford, Ella Popenhagen and Mia Rampton. These veterans will mentor the newest additions of Kiki Connell, Sophia Jungling and Sydney Schaffer over the 2021 season.
 
Securing sixth with 46 points, Missouri State looks to rebound after a season marred by injuries and other setbacks. The experienced squad tallies four returnees, including top 25 runners Edna Dar and Adyson Delaney. Joining the veteran squad is two newcomers coming onto campus as freshmen.

After not competing in the 2020 Championship and finishing third in 2019, Indiana State is tabbed seventh with 41 points. The Sycamores need to replace three of their top competitors. Still, they have a solid squad headed by Jocelyn Quiles and strong newcomers such as Erica Barker and Morgan Dyer.

Southern Illinois, Valparaiso and Evansville recorded the final three spots of the preseason poll.

Southern Illinois and its 38 points garnered the eighth spot in the poll as the young team lacks experience but makes up for it with their depth. Kayla Schiera is the consummate leader and the two-time MVC Steeple runner-up has support from Stephanie Anthonies and Rachel Anderson. Finishing out the lineup is Josie Brown and incoming freshmen such as Ansley Bailey and Katelyn Stapleton.

The Beacons of Valparaiso are ninth with 21 points, which sees their entire top five coming back to campus. The sophomores are poised for a significant improvement after enduring an unusual freshman campaign that only had them race the MVC Championship. The leader of the sophomore contingent is Grace Aurand, who could use her excellent track season as momentum for a finish in an All-Conference spot and drive the team up the order.

Evansville rounds out the poll in 10^th place; the Purple Aces earned 12 points. Anna Lowry is returning for a fifth season. The MVC indoor champion in the 5k and outdoors in 10k has a real chance of fighting for one of the top places in the championship. Emma Boebinger, Sam Weldon and some newcomers will fight for the final spots while pushing each other to improve.  
 

 
Illinois State hosts the 2021 MVC Cross Country Championship, Oct. 29 in Normal, Illinois. Check out the Valley's championship central page HERE – for more championship details.