The US Track and Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association has spoken, and it’s not saying much about the Iowa men’s cross-country program.

The organization ranked the Hawkeyes as the eighth-best team in the Midwest region in its annual preseason poll. There are 15 teams in the region.

This neither fazes nor surprises Iowa men’s cross-country coach Larry Wieczorek.

“That’s what I expected,” said Wieczorek, now in his 23rd season as Iowa’s head coach. “We haven’t done anything to merit a higher [ranking].”

As in any sport, preseason rankings are largely based on of a team’s performance in the previous season, as well as how many quality athletes the program returns.

With so many of Iowa’s top runners unknown on the national level, junior Sam Bailin understands there is still much to prove for the Hawkeyes.

Aside from All-Big Ten selection Jesse Luciano, Iowa’s top runners consist of freshman Jeffrey Thode, Nick Holmes, who was injured last season, and Bailin, who up until this season has been mostly relegated to middle-of-the-pack finishes.

“A lot of teams are bringing back four or five of their top runners from last year,” said Bailin, who was part of an Iowa squad that finished seventh in the Midwest region last season. “We certainly won’t be unknown after this year.”

Another factor contributing to Iowa’s relatively low ranking can be attributed to the strength of the Midwest region.

Three teams in the region placed in the final 2008 rankings (Oklahoma State, Iowa State, and Tulsa), as well as four Big Ten squads (Wisconsin, Michigan, Penn State, and Minnesota). And Indiana received votes.

Oklahoma State, which finished last season ranked No. 2 nationally, is No. 1 in the Midwest region — something Iowa cocaptain Tommy Tate has become used to in his five years in Iowa City.

“[The Cowboys] have been consistently very tough for a long time,” he said. “They finished highly ranked last season and had a lot of recruits last year.

“Our region is tough. Tougher than most, actually.”

Wieczorek’s squad will try to gain some national publicity at the Wisconsin Inter-Regional in Madison, Wis. The Oct. 3 meet will give Wieczorek a chance to see where his team stands against some of the nation’s top programs — specifically the No. 4 Badgers.

“I’m not a person who thinks polls don’t mean anything. They do,” Wieczorek said. “I think [polls] are a great motivator. It would be wonderful to be ranked. The Wisconsin meet will be a great challenge for us.

“We need five guys to run under 25 minutes. We need to beat someone tough. Pick up that large point. Our policy is we are a potentially good team. We are optimistic that we can get into the top 25 or 30 in the nation when it’s all done.”

To upend a top team, Wieczorek doesn’t want to overly-complicate things. Tate said the Hawkeyes’ approach won’t be anything out of the ordinary when they head to Wisconsin.

“We have to run in a tight pack,” he said. “We need to keep it strong and beat some tough teams. We need to perform at some bigger meets.”