DIII Cross Country Regional Team Rankings Feature Major Reset in New England

NEW ORLEANS—Imagine the eight regions of NCAA Division III cross country as a cheese pizza that defies all laws of heat and physics. Seven of the eight slices are beginning to congeal, but the cheese on the eighth slice remains boiling hot, sliding off the bread and just generally rejecting all attempts at containment.

That eighth slice is the New England Region.

The Regional Team Rankings, released Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association, saw minimal movement and the same No. 1 teams in 14 of 16 regions including both genders.

In New England, though, the Purple Valley Classic kept the heat up on the proverbial cheese.

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After a win there, the men of Colby have ascended to No. 1 in the region.  Since winning the NESCAC in 1993, the Mules have finished better than fifth in the conference just once—a fourth place finish in 2003.  That ’03 finish is also the only time in two decades that Colby has been the top team from the state of Maine in the ‘CAC.  Now, the Mules aren’t just ranked as the top Maine DIII team, or the top conference team, but No. 1 in the entire region.

Sliding down one spot each are NE No. 2 Williams and No. 3 MIT. Teams 6-8 were also shuffled.

On the women’s side, the top six New England teams all changed places. MIT rose to No. 1 after a convincing win at Purple Valley. The Engineers are followed by No. 2 Middlebury, then Williams and Tufts in a tie for third in the region.

Both the MIT women and Colby men get a regional No. 1 ranking a day after having one of their athletes receive National Athlete of the Week awards.

Outside of New England, the most significant men’s shifts came in the Mideast. Idle Dickinson moved into a tie for No. 2 with Haverford. Both trail No. 1 Johns Hopkins. Six of the seven programs behind the three Centennial schools move to a different spot from last Tuesday. 

New men’s teams in the regional rankings are Rose-Hulman (Great Lakes), Messiah (Mideast), and Whitworth (West).

The biggest jumps among women’s teams come from new Midwest No. 6 Augustana (Ill.), up three, and South/Southeast Christopher Newport, up five into a tie at No. 2.

CNU’s region was the most active outside of New England. There, Centre and CNU moved into a tie for No. 2 for competing well at Pre-Nats and Salisbury, respectively. Teams 6-10 in the S/SE all received a new rank, led by previously unranked No. 6 Mary Washington.

Along with UMW, women’s teams joining this week’s regional top tens are Misericordia (Mideast), Occidental, and Colorado College (West).

NCAA Division III Regional Championships will be held around the country Saturday, November 15.

USTFCCCA Regional Cross Country Rankings are determined subjectively by a single member coach in each respective region, or by a panel of coaches in the region. The regional representative is tasked with weighing returning team strength with current-season results in determining predicted team finishes at the NCAA Regional Championships.