Two Months Before NCAAs, DI Men’s Regional Rankings Taking Shape

NEW ORLEANS – Two months from today, cross country teams from around the country will be lining up for the NCAA Division I Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana. But before they get their shot at Cross Country Town USA, they’ll have to get through the regional championships eight days prior.

With only a handful of significant races so far this month, those regional races are still in the early stages of shaping up in the week two edition of the Men’s Regional Team Rankings announced Monday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Regional Rankings Summary PDF | Rankings Central | Women’s Rankings

The top two teams in each of the nine regional championships on Friday, November 11, will get automatic berths to the NCAA Championships on November 19. Finishing order beyond the top-two teams will be a significant factor in determining at-large berths to Terre Haute.

Only one new men’s team managed to crack into their region’s top-two this week, as Columbia jumped up a couple spots to No. 2 in the Northeast behind defending national champion Syracuse.

The Lions only ran a “B” team this weekend at Iona, but were the beneficiaries of cooling expectations for a pair of regional foes. Columbia bypassed Iona at No. 3, while previous No. 2 Providence fell three spots following a runner-up finish to Dartmouth at the Boston College Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown.

For their efforts, the Big Green moved up to No. 4 as a result of the win, and could potentially break through into the National Coaches’ Poll top-30 on Tuesday.

The next-closest move to the top came out West, where No. 3 Boise State, No. 4 Portland and No. 5 Washington State all moved up a spot from last week. That trio’s rise came at the expense of Washington, which fell three spots from last time to No. 6. The Huskies finished second to WSU at their home Sundodger Invitational.

Elsewhere, both Georgia and Baylor jumped up three spots each to No. 4 in their respective South and South Central regions. Neither region has qualified at-large teams in recent years, making claiming the top-two spots at their respective championships of the utmost importance.

The full regional rankings can be seen below.

NCAA Division I Regional Championships will be held around the country on Friday, November 11 with the return of the NCAA Championships to Terre Haute, Indiana, eight days later.

USTFCCCA Regional Cross Country Rankings are determined subjectively by a single member coach in each respective region. The regional representative is tasked with weighing returning teams strength with current season results (if applicable) in determining predicted team finishes at the NCAA Regional Championships.