2019 NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 6
NEW ORLEANS – Conference Championships Weekend changed the landscape of the NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, as released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday.
SEE MORE: NCAA Division I Conference Championships Weekend Recap
A total of 12 teams improved their ranking, while four new teams entered the National Coaches’ Poll following an exciting weekend of conference action.
NCAA Division I — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Arkansas
Arkansas
2
Stanford
Stanford
3
BYU
BYU
4
Washington
Washington
5
NC State
NC State
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Arkansas remained the No. 1 team for a third consecutive week, receiving 10 first-place votes. The Razorbacks won their seventh-straight SEC Cross Country title with 21 points by placing four runners in the top-5, led by a 1-2 punch by SEC Champion Katie Izzo and SEC Runner-Up Taylor Werner.
No. 2 Stanford held steady for the second week in a row after rolling to a 27-55 victory over No. 4 Washington at the Pac-12 Cross Country Championships. Fiona O’Keeffe, Ella Donaghu, and Jessica Lawson finished 1-2-3 to lead the Cardinal to their first conference title since 2010.
BYU received one first-place vote and moved up one spot to No. 3. The West Coast Conference champion had runners finish 1-2-3-5-7 to score 18 points for a 66-point margin of victory. Whittni Orton won the individual title in 19:49.27 en route to the Cougars’ second conference championship in a row, and third overall, since joining the WCC in 2011.
Joining the top-5 for the first time this season, and first since 2017, is NC State coming in at No. 5. The Wolfpack won the team title at the ACC Championships with a 64-76 victory over now No. 12 Florida State, led by individual champion Elly Henes.
Michigan State jumped up three spots from No. 9 to No. 6 to match its highest placement since 2016. The Spartans edged out No. 7 Wisconsin 56-62 for the team title at the Big Ten Championship.
Making the biggest jump is No. 9 Utah, which earned a seven-spot jump to move up from No. 16. The Utes placed third at the Pac-12 Championships with 86 points to finish behind Stanford and Washington, and three points ahead of fourth place Colorado (dropped three to No. 8).
No. 10 New Mexico rounds out the top-10 and moved up one spot following the Lobos’s 12th consecutive team title at the Mountain West Championships. Weini Kelati, who was recently named the National Athlete of the Week for the second time this season, won her second Mountain West title individual crown in 19:11.2 for a new championship record.
Furman moved up one spot to No. 14 following its seventh-straight Southern Conference Championship. Ivy League Champion, Columbia, jumped three spots to No. 21, while Butler won the Big East and climbed two spots to No. 24.
No. 25 Oklahoma State gained four spots in the poll after a dramatic win at the Big 12 Championships. The Cowgirls held off Texas by a score of 52-54 to win the program’s second conference title.
Other programs that moved up one spot each include No. 16 Notre Dame (third at ACC), No. 19 Oregon (fifth at Pac-12), and No. 20 Ohio State (fifth at Big Ten). This is the Buckeyes’ second-best placement in program history.
Four new teams enter the National Coaches’ Poll this week following their performances at their respective conference championships. No. 27 Ole Miss, No. 29 Syracuse, and No. 30 California Baptist all earned the nod to the poll after previously receiving votes, while No. 28 Villanova was previously not ranked.
The final NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll will be released on Monday, November 18, before the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana on Saturday, November 23.
