2021 NCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 7

NEW ORLEANS – What an exciting weekend!

Here is the final edition of the NCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings for the 2021 season, as released on Tuesday afternoon by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The winds of change swept through since Week 6 as Conference Championships Weekend truly shook things up.

Mark you calendars for Regional Championships Saturday on November 13! The top team in each region advances to the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships the following week, while the 22 other teams will be at-large selections.

East Region

There were a few changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the East Region.

MIT remained No. 1, but both Colby and Tufts leapfrogged Bates, while WPI held its ground at No. 5 (The Mules are now ranked No. 2; the Jumbos are now ranked No. 3; the Bobcats are now ranked No. 4). The Engineers were perfect in a title-winning performance at the NEWMAC Championships, while the other Engineers took runner-up honors. Colby, Tufts and Bates finished in that exact order at the NESCAC Championships.

Great Lakes Region

There were no changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the Great Lakes Region.

John Carroll and Otterbein remained No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, followed by No. 3 Case Western Reserve, No. 4 Calvin and No. 5 Mount Union. The Blue Streaks won the team title at the OAC Championships this past weekend with the Cardinals and the Purple Raiders finishing second and third, respectively. The Knights rolled to yet another team title at the MIAA Championships, while the Spartans took a tough fifth at the UAA Championships.

Metro Region

There were a few changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the Metro Region.

Haverford remained No. 1, but is now followed by No. 2 TCNJ, which leapfrogged both Ramapo (now No. 3) and Rowan (now No. 4). Swarthmore held steady at No. 5 for the second week in a row. The Fords won the team title at the Centennial Conference Championships, putting four runners in the top-10 to get it done. The Lions emerged victorious at the NJAC Championships over the Roadrunners and the Profs, who finished second and third, respectively.

Mid-Atlantic Region

There was a small change to the order of the top-5 teams in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Carnegie Mellon and Johns Hopkins remained No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, followed by No. 3 Dickinson and No. 4 Messiah, but Elizabethtown jumped one spot into the No. 5 position. The Tartans won the team title at the UAA Championships, while the Blue Jays and the Red Devils took second and third, respectively, at the Centennial Conference Championships. The Eagles were crowned champions at the MAC Championships with the other Blue Jays earning runner-up honors at the Landmark Conference Championships, losing on a tiebreaker.

Mideast Region

There were a few small changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the Mideast Region.

Williams and Middlebury remained No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, followed by No. 3 RPI, but Vassar and Amherst leapfrogged former No. 4 Connecticut College into the No. 4 and No. 5 spots (The Camels dropped to No. 6). The Ephs won the team title at the NESCAC Championships, beating the Panthers in a close battle. The Engineers held off a strong challenge by the Brewers to win the team title at the Liberty League Championships, while the Mammoths were sixth at the NESCAC Championships behind several teams in the East.

Midwest Region

There were no changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the Midwest Region.

Wartburg and North Central (Ill.) remained No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, followed by No. 3 Washington (Mo.), No. 4 Loras and No. 5 UChicago. The Knights rolled to the team title at the American Rivers Conference Championships, while the Cardinals did the same at the CCIW Championships. The Bears finished runner-up at the UAA Championships with the Maroons not too far behind in third. The Duhawks were a clear second at the A-R-C Championships.

Niagara Region

There were a few notable changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the Niagara Region.

SUNY Geneseo and Ithaca remained No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, but are now followed by No. 3 Hamilton, No. 4 Rochester (N.Y.) and No. 5 SUNY Cortland. The Knights won the team title in convincing fashion at the SUNYAC Championships with the Red Dragons a distant second. The Bombers were third at the Liberty League Championships, while the Continentals took eighth at the NESCAC Championships and the Yellow Jackets were sixth at the UAA Championships.

North Region

There were some big changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the North Region.

UW-La Crosse supplanted UW-Whitewater as the No. 1 team, while Carleton held steady at No. 3 and St. Olaf leapfrogged UW-Oshkosh into the No. 4 spot (The Warhawks are now No. 2; the Titans are now No. 5). The Eagles earned a close head-to-head victory over the Warhawks at the WIAC Championships, while UW-Oshkosh finished a distant third. The Knights emerged as the winner of the MAIC Championships, beating the Oles by nine points (50-59).

South Region

There was a small change to the order of the top-5 teams in the South Region.

Emory and Lynchburg remained No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, with Washington and Lee at No. 3, but Christopher Newport leapfrogged Berry into the No. 4 spot (The Vikings are now ranked No. 5). Two of those five teams captured a team title this past weekend: the Hornets at the ODAC Championships; the Vikings at the SAA Championships. The Eagles finished fourth at the UAA Championships, while the Generals took runner-up honors behind the Hornets and the Captains also finished runner-up, but at the C2C Championships.

West Region

There were a few changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the West Region.

Pomona-Pitzer and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps remained No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, but Colorado College is now No. 3, UC Santa Cruz held steady at No. 4 and George Fox is now No. 5. The Sagehens earned a close victory over the Stags at the SCIAC Championships this past weekend, while the Tigers made it look easy at the SCAC Championships and the Banana Slugs took home top honors at the C2C Championships. The Bruins had their hands full with Pacific Lutheran at the Northwest Conference Championships, but emerged with the team title.