The Ohio Northern softball team, under third-year head coach Kim Burke, is ranked No. 15 in the 2013 preseason NCAA Division III poll by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
The Polar Bears received 92 points in the poll.
ONU has now been nationally ranked in five consecutive seasons and finished the year ranked No. 11 in 2012.
Pacific Lutheran (Wash.) was unanimous No. 1 choice after winning the NCAA III Tournament title, receiving all eight first place votes and 200 points overall.
Sophomore Cody Lovejoy posted a second-period pin in the final bout of the night to help No. 18-ranked Ohio Northern to a 21-17 victory over No. 30-ranked Mount Union in a battle of Ohio Athletic Conference wrestling unbeatens Tuesday evening at the ONU Sports Center.
The Polar Bears improve to 14-2 and remain undefeated and in first place in the OAC at 3-0, while the Purple Raiders fall to 6-3, 2-1.
Lovejoy got his team-best 16th pin of the season in 4:51 in the heavyweight class as ONU rallied from a 17-12 deficit to win its 13th consecutive OAC regular season dual match.
The Ohio Northern men's and women's indoor track & field teams will host a canned food drive during the Joe Banks Invitiational on Saturday at the ONU Sports Center.
Collection boxes will be set up inside and outside of the fieldhouse. Suggested items include canned fruit, soups, pasta, rice, cereal and baking items.
Ohio Northern is one of 11 teams that will be participating in the meet this weekend.
Field events begin at 11 am and running events will begin at noon.
For more information on the Joe Banks Invitational, click here.
The Ohio Northern women's basketball team moved up to a season high ranking of No. 6 in the ninth weekly D3hoops.com poll and a season best No. 7 in the USA Today Sports Division III Top 25 Coaches poll.
The Polar Bears received 475 votes in the D3hoops.com poll, which was 34 more than they received in last weeks poll.
DePauw (Ind.) stayed at the top of the poll with 623 points and 23 of the 25 first place votes, Calvin (Mich) is ranked second with 593 points and the two remaining first place votes and Hope (Mich.) is third with 548 points.
Senior Alison Steinbrunner has been named OAC Women's Indoor Track & Field Runner of the Week.
At the OAC Indoor Split Meet on Friday, she won the 1,000 run in 3:02.83.
Steinbrunner also was part of the DMR team that took first place with a time of 12:22.27.
The Polar Bears finished second of five teams in the meet with 138 points.
Ohio Northern will return to action on Saturday when it hosts the Joe Bank Invitational. Field events begin at 11 a.m. with track competition starting at noon.
