2017 NCAA DII Cross Country Regional Rankings – Preseason

NEW ORLEANS – It seems like the outdoor track & field season just ended. Yet, here we are.

That’s right, cross country season is upon us. With the first batch of meets right around the corner, now is the time to take a peek at where the nation’s top NCAA Division II teams sit in their respective regions.

REGIONAL RANKINGS SUMMARY PDF
REGIONAL RANKINGS – ALL-TIME WEEK BY WEEK

For those who don’t know, the 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.

COMPLETE RANKINGS: MEN | WOMEN

 Atlantic Region 

There’s no real surprise here, as Shippensburg lays claim to the top spot in both the men’s and women’s rankings in the Atlantic Region. Both squads picked up victories at the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Cross Country Championships a year ago, and both are poised to have strong seasons this year.

The men’s squad returns Alex Balla and Calvin Conrad-Kline, both of whom finished in the top-10 at the regional meet a year ago. Caity Reese, last season’s sixth-place finisher at Slippery Rock, returns to lead Shippenburg’s women’s squad.

Edinboro – who jumped up from 11th a year ago – and Indiana (Pa.) round out the top-3 on the men’s side in the region. Lock Haven sits in fourth, but returns 2016 Atlantic Region champion Addison Monroe. California (Pa.) is in second in the women’s rankings.

Central Region

U-Mary, who will get another year out of 2016 Central Region champion and NCAA Runner-Up Alexis Zeis, carries over its success from a year ago to the top spot in the region, while Missouri Southern’s men’s team snuck ahead of Augustana (S.D.) in the initial rankings of 2017.

U-Mary’s ranking is a no-brainer, given the accolades bestowed upon the aforementioned Zeis. But one may wonder why Missouri Southern jumped Augustana (S.D.), despite losing Vincent Kiprop. The answer is simple: the Lions return four underclassmen who all finished in the top-32 at the Central Region Championships, while Augustana’s top-three runners all exhausted their eligibility.

Never fear, Vikings; Jesus Urtusuastegui makes his triumphant return to the team after a strong rookie campaign.

East Region

American International’s men and Stonehill’s women both captured East Region Championships a year ago, and both return a slew of talent, giving them the early lead in the region rankings.

Leakey Kipkosgei and Mitchell Byrne finished first and third, respectively, at the East Region Championships, while the former of the two placed 14th nationally just a few weeks later. Stonehill’s Nicole Borofski graduated after winning the East Region last year, but the Skyhawks have four women who finished in the top-20 last year back in action.

Assumption ranks second on the women’s side, which makes sense seeing that they are the only program in the East Region that returns two top-10 regional finishers in Antonia Pagliuca and Courtney Fisher.

Midwest Region

Like Shippensburg in the Atlantic, Grand Valley State is holding down the fort atop the men’s and women’s rankings in the Midwest. The NCAA Division II Women’s Cross Country National Champions from a year ago lost Kendra Foley to graduation, but do return Stacey Metzger, who finished 15th (20:57.8) a year ago as the top-placing freshman. Kelly Haubert also finished in the top-50 at nationals in addition to placing 12th at the Midwest Regionals.

On the men’s side, the Lakers bring back Zach Panning (fifth – 29:58.3), Trevor Sharnas (18th – 30:51.3) and Wuoi Mach (48th – 31:26.3) as top-50 national finishers from a year ago.

Southern Indiana, ranked second on the women’s side, could pose a problem for the rest of the region with the return of Emily Roberts, the top returning finisher at the Midwest Regionals a year ago.

South Region

Lee (Tenn.) won the Men’s South Region title a year ago and look to have a good shot to do so again as the top team in the region out of the gate. The Flames have a trio of men in Christian Noble (third), Harold Smith (fifth) and Seat Eagleson (10th) that finished in the top-10 at the regional meet a year ago.

Saint Leo owns the top spot on the women’s side due to the fact that it returns 2016 South Region Champion Colett Rampf, as well as three others who finished in the top-15. Rampf also placed 14th at the national meet.

Lee’s women’s team ranks second in the region, while Florida Southern is the runner-up on the men’s side with three top-16 regional finishers from a year ago back in Lakeland, Florida.

South Central Region

When you win a national title and return top talent, you’re more than likely to lead your region the next year out. That’s the thinking with Adams State’s men’s program with the return of Sydney Gidabuday. Finishing fourth a year ago at the national meet, he heads into the year as the top returner. Lucio Ramirez and Kale Adams should also play a major factor in what is sure to be a strong season for the Grizzlies.

While the men’s team took home the title last year, the women’s team was oh-so-close, finishing as national runners-up. However, that’s good enough to put them in the lead for the South Central Regional rankings. Ninth-place regional finisher Kaylee Bogina returns to lead the Grizzlies in just her second year on the course.

Colorado Mines’ men’s team won the South Central Region a year ago and come in at second in the preseason rankings, while Western State sits in second on the women’s side.

Southeast Region

Mount Olive has a lot to be excited about, as the men’s team heads into the year ranked first in the Southeast Region, while the women’s team is in third. Both teams return the Southeast Region individual champions a year ago in Adam Craig and Leah Hanle.

Despite this fact, the women’s Southeast Region rankings are led by Queens (N.C.). The Royals’ Natane Deruytter (fifth), Lucie Noall (seventh) and Hannah Wolkenhauer (10th) all finished in the top-10 at the Southeast Regionals a year ago.

A pair of teams from the Carolinas sit second on each side, with Queens (N.C.) and Anderson (S.C.) currently in the runner-up positions in the men’s and women’s rankings, respectively.

West Region

Chico State has a lock on the top spots in the West Region on both the men’s and women’s side of the rankings. This is to be expected, for not only did both teams capture the West Region title a year ago, but also finished 4th at the 2016 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships.

The men’s Wildcats feature Kyle Medina and Falco DiGiallonardo, the top-returning athletes from the West Region. Medina also finished 11th at nationals, while the women bring back Karlie Garcia, who finished sixth at the West Regionals last season.

Alaska Anchorage sits in second on in both ranking, with top-10 regional finishers Edwin Kangogo and Caroline Kurgat pacing each squad.

The United States (as well as Canada and Puerto Rico) is split into eight distinct regions for both the men and the women, combining for 16 total. Teams qualify to the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships on November 18 based on their finishes at these regional championships, with each region allotted a specific number of NCAA Championship berths based on 2016 results.