2021 NCAA DII Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 1
NEW ORLEANS – The first two weekends of competition are in the books!
A total of 27 teams find themselves in a new spot in the most recent installment of the 2021 NCAA Division II Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll that was released on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
NCAA Division II — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Grand Valley State
Grand Valley State
2
Colo. School of Mines
Colo. School of Mines
3
Adams State
Adams State
4
Augustana (S.D.)
Augustana (S.D.)
5
Southern Indiana
Southern Indiana
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Top-ranked Grand Valley State is the unanimous favorite to take home the national title on Saturday, November 20, after receiving all eight first-place votes. The Lakers opened up the season with a win at the Calvin Knight Invite.
Colorado School of Mines jumped two spots from the preseason release for a program-best placement. The Orediggers, who are now ranked No. 2, finished third at the Wyoming Invite behind NCAA Division I Colorado State and Colorado. Zoe Baker was their top finisher in the field and paced a top-5 with a spread of 38 seconds.
With the climb of Colorado School of Mines, Adams State and Augustana (S.D.) each fell one spot to No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, while No. 5 Southern Indiana held steady since the preseason rankings.
No. 7 Cal State Stanislaus received a program-best ranking in the National Coaches’ Poll. The Warriors opened up the season against several NCAA Division I programs at the U of San Francisco Invitational, followed by a victory at the Kim Duyst Twilight Invitational that saw the Warriors place five runners in the top-10.
Both UC-Colorado Springs and Simon Fraser are making their first appearance in the top-10 this season. The Mountain Lions jumped from No. 12 to No. 9 after winning the UCCS Rust-Buster. SFU improved one spot from No. 11 to No. 10 after posting a convincing victory at the San Francisco State Invitational over several West Region programs.
There are seven teams making their season debut among the top-30. Previously receiving votes a week ago are No. 18 CSU-Pueblo and No. 29 Mississippi College. Moving up from the Land of the Not Ranked are No. 21 Minnesota Duluth, No. 25 Cal State San Marcos, No. 26 Michigan Tech, No. 27 Colorado Christian and No. 30 Neb.-Kearney.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 20, as the 2021 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships will take place at Abbey Golf Course in Tampa, Florida.
