Upset Winners Shake Up DI Women’s Poll

NEW ORLEANS – Upset winners stole the show this past weekend as 31 NCAA Division I conferences held their respective championship meets.

Those same underdog champions – Penn State (Big Ten) and Oklahoma State (Big 12) – surged the most in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Coaches’ Poll, which was released Tuesday.

National PDFs: Top 30 Summary | Week-by-Week 2015 | Week-by-Week All Time
Regional Rankings: Summary | Recap
MORE: NCAA DI Polls & Rankings Home | Men’s National Coaches’ Poll

NCAA Division I National Coaches Poll Top 5 – Women 1) 2) 3) t4) t4) New Mexico Colorado Arkansas Oregon Providence View Complete Women’s National Coaches Poll

The Nittany Lions, who jumped from No. 15 to No. 10 after winning their first conference title since 2009, waged an epic battle against previously-second-ranked Michigan (now No. 7) over the 6K tract at the Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course. This is Penn State’s first apperance in the top-10 since Week 7 in 2012.

It was clear early on that the Nittany Lions were on the prowl, as they asserted themselves early on and took a 39-55 lead through 2K. The Wolverines fought back and reclaimed a 49-53 edge at 4K, but Penn State was just too strong. The Nittany Lions put four runners in the top-12 – Tori Gerlach (fourth), Elizabeth Chikotas (sixth), Jillian Hunsberger (ninth) and Tessa Barrett (12th) – while Michigan only had three, which included individual champion Erin Finn.

Unlike what happened in Chicago, Illinois, the race to decide the Big 12 champion in Stillwater, Oklahoma wasn’t as close. In fact, it was a run-away victory for Oklahoma State over Iowa State and the rest of their the Big 12 bretheren.

The Cowgirls overcame a 1-2 finish by the Cyclones and put four runners in the top-10 – Ingeborg Loevnes (third), Kaela Edwards (fourth), Natalie Baker (sixth) and Anna Boyert (ninth). Oklahoma State entered the meet ranked 23rd and jumped to 13th. Iowa State fell from 11th to 16th.

With Michigan slipping from second to seventh, it shifted the top-6 up one spot behind unanimous No. 1 New Mexico. Pac-12 champion Colorado is now No. 2, followed by SEC champion Arkansas (No. 3) and ACC champion Virginia (No. 6). Oregon and BIG EAST champion Providence are tied for fourth.

BYU fell the most out of any ranked team from the previous week, dropping from No. 14 to No. 24 after a runner-up finish in the West Coast Conference. Meet champion Gonzaga comes in at No. 30 and is ranked for the first time in program history.

This is the penultimate National Coaches’ Poll of the season. The final poll will come out two weeks from today after the respective regional championships.

After that, most of these teams will gear up for the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships held Nov. 21 at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer Park in Louisville, Kentucky.