The first Division III cross country polls have been released and the
Calvin men's and women's cross country teams are ranked in the same
spots that they finished the 1998 season as the men are ranked second
and the women first.

The defending NCAA III women's cross country champion, the Calvin women
received seven of a possible eight first place votes with Puget Sound of
Washington receiving the remaining first place vote.  Puget Sound is one
of a number of West Coast schools making the move from the NAIA ranks to
Division III as the decade of the 1990's comes to a close.  Puget Sound
finished third in the NAIA national race in 1998.  The College of New
Jersey - last year's national runner-up - is ranked second in the
women's poll.

On the men's side, Calvin is ranked second behind two-time defending
national champion North Central of Illinois.  North Central received all
eight first place votes.  Hope from the MIAA is ranked 22nd in the men's
poll.

Both Calvin cross country teams will open their 1999 campaigns on
Saturday at the Parkside Invitational in Kenosha, Wisconsin, at 1:00
pm.

NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY TOP 25 NATIONAL POLL 
- Released 9-14-99

1. Calvin
2. College of New Jersey
3. Puget Sound, WA
4. UW-Oshkosh
5. Middlebury
6. UW-LaCrosse
7. Williams
8. Plattsburg State
9. Colorado College
9. St. Olaf
11. Augustana
12. Cortland State
12. St. Thomas
14. Macalester
15. Brandeis
16. Baldwin-Wallace
17. Wheaton, IL
18. Carnegie-Mellon
19. U. of Chicago
20. Nebraska Wesleyan
21. Emory
22. Geneseo State
23. Moravian
24. Ithaca
25. DePauw

NCAA DIVISION III MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY TOP-25 NATIONAL POLL 
- RELEASED 9-14-99

1. North Central, IL
2. Calvin College
3. UW-LaCrosse
4. UW-Stevens Point
5. Keene State, NH
6. Nebraska Wesleyan
7. UW-Whitewater
8. St. John's, MN
9. Williams, MA
10. Puget Sound, WA
11. Heidelberg, OH
12. Tufts, MA
13. Cortland State, NY
14. College of New Jersey
15. UW-Eau Claire
16. Brandeis, MA
17. Carnegie-Mellon, PA
18. UW-Oshkosh
19. Bates, ME
20. Haverford, PA
21. MIT, MA
22. St. Thomas, MN
22.  Hope
24.  Washington, MO
25. St. Lawrence

-end-