Conference Championship Weekend Irons Out Wrinkles In NCAA DI XC Women’s Poll

NEW ORLEANS — Conference Championship Weekend provided clarity to the NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll.

NCAA Division I National Coaches Poll Top 5 – Women 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Colorado NC State Providence Washington Michigan View Complete Women’s National Coaches Poll

What was the biggest takeaway? Colorado is crazy good.

The top-ranked Buffaloes owned eight of a possible 12 first-place votes in the Week 5 poll. After dominating the Pac-12 Championships, Colorado is still No. 1 in the Week 6 poll that was released Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), but this time it’s unanimous.

The Buffs made quick work of a field that included six other top-30 teams, including previous No. 2 Washington. Colorado went 2-3-4 with Erin Clark, Dani Jones and Kaitlyn Benner and threw in Makena Morley (9th) for good measure. It added up to a 41-point win for the Buffs over the Huskies and 50 clear of 3rd-place Stanford.

Like Colorado, NC State, Providence, Michigan, New Mexico, Arkansas and Iowa State all looked strong at their respective conference championships and were rewarded for their efforts.

National PDFs: Summary | Week-by-Week 2016 | Week-by-Week All Time
Regional Rankings: Week 6 Summary | Men’s Recap | Women’s Recap

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The Wolfpack took over the No. 2 spot vacated by Washington (now No. 4) and matched their best ranking in program history. NC State ran incredibly well as a team at the ACC Championships (4-10-12-13-14) and easily trumped Notre Dame.

The Friars thwarted an upset bid from upstart Villanova at the BIG EAST Championships and moved up to No. 3. The Wildcats went 1-2, yet Providence stayed the course and its own 3-4-6-8 finish propelled the team to another conference title.

The Wolverines went back and forth with Penn State for the second consecutive year at the Big Ten Championships. This year, however, Michigan was ready with NCAA individual title favorite Erin Finn leading the way (third consecutive victory) and jumped into the top-5 for the first time this season at No. 5.

The Lady Lobos didn’t relinquish their stranglehold on the Mountain West Conference as they won yet another title. New Mexico went 1-2 with Alice Wright claiming the individual crown and moved up to No. 6.

The Razorbacks and Cyclones both moved up three spots after winning the SEC and Big 12 titles, respectively. Arkansas is No. 7 and Iowa State moved closer to the top-10, where it hasn’t been since Week 5 of last year.

Another conference champion that climbed the ladder was Harvard. The Crimson won their first Ivy League title since 1985 and improved eight spots this week to No. 18, its loftiest ranking in program history.

Speaking of making history, Air Force joins the Coaches’ Poll for the first time. The Falcons were a game second at the MWC Championships and became the first service academy to be ranked in poll history.

Other teams that impressed the coaches in losing efforts at their conference meets were Stanford (No. 11 to No. 7), Notre Dame (No. 19 to No. 14) and Michigan State (No. 27 to No. 22).

There will be one more poll this season, due to come out November 14. That will include results from the Regional Championships and will prepare everybody for the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships five days later in Terre Haute, Indiana.