Conference Championships Shake Up Men’s Division III Regional Rankings

NEW ORLEANS – Conference championships weekend yielded more than just team trophies for four men’s teams, as each team moved to the top of their respective regions in the final U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III Regional Rankings of the season released Tuesday.

REGIONAL PDFs: Regional Summary | Week-by-Week
Division III XC Rankings Central

Williams (No. 6 nationally) moved atop the New England Region, SUNY Cortland (No. 15) tied NYU (No. 7) atop the Atlantic, Johns Hopkins (No. 32) jumped to the top of the Mideast Region, and Willamette (receiving votes) jumped past Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (No. 22) to first in the West.

Little changed near the top of the women’s rankings.

This set of rankings will hold until the Regional Championships on November 16, and the results from those meets will serve as the final region rankings for 2013.

 Williams’ move to first in the New England Region makes the Ephs the fourth team to occupy the spot this season. Behind 51 points and a runner-up finish by Colin Cotton, they defeated former No. 1 Middlebury (No. 4 nationally) with 62 points, Tufts (No. 23), former top-ranked Bowdoin (No. 13), Colby (No. 25) and Bates (No. 17).

The regional ranking reflects that order, with former top-ranked NEWMAC champ MIT (No. 20 nationally) in fourth between Tufts and Bowdoin.

The region has had a different champion in each of the last three years, most recently Middlebury in 2012.

SUNY Cortland improved one spot to share the top spot in the Atlantic Region with NYU. Cortland defeated SUNY Geneseo (No. 18 nationally), 20-41, behind individual winner Nick Marcantonio and six top-10 finishers, while third-place Dylan Karten led No. 7 NYU to a runner-up finish to No. 2 Washington (Mo.) at the UAA Championships. The two teams were also tied at the top earlier this season in week one.

NYU is the defending regional champ, but a different team has won the title in each of the past four seasons.

Johns Hopkins upset Dickinson (No. 8 nationally) and preseason regional favorite Haverford (No. 12) to take control of the Mideast Region for the first time this season. Max Robinson finished third for the Blue Jays, who edged Dickinson, 34-39. Haverford has claimed each of the past three region titles.

Willamette rounded out the new top-ranked regional teams with an NWC title by 20 points over Puget Sound, 49-69, behind individual winner Parker Bennett. Their conference crown vaulted them past defending West Region champion Claremont-Mudd-Scripps to the top position.

The most significant move in the women’s rankings was a one-spot increase by Hope (No. 22 nationally) to third in the Great lakes Region following a runner-up showing to top-ranked Calvin (No. 5) at the MIAA Championships.

NCAA Division III Regionals will be held Sunday, November 16. More information can be found at Regional Championships Central.