2022 NCAA DII Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Preseason

NEW ORLEANS – Cross country is back!

Here is the preseason iteration of the NCAA Division II Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll for the 2022 season, as released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday. Remember that this poll is conducted by counting votes from eight member coaches – one from each of the division’s eight regions – who also do the Regional Rankings.

NCAA Division II — Women's Cross Country

This Week's National Top Five

1
Adams State

2
Grand Valley State

3
Augustana (S.D.)

4
Colo. School of Mines

5
UC-Colorado Springs

Cross Country Polls & Rankings

NATIONAL POLL

REGIONAL RANKINGS

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The two-time defending national champion Adams State is the unanimous favorite to pick up their third-straight NCAA title. It’s no surprise that the Grizzlies received all eight first place votes as they return their entire lineup from a year ago, led by sixth-place finisher Brianna Robles. Adams State also welcomes back Stephanie Cotter, who was the national champion in 2019 and set the all-time record with her 19:15.5 showing in Sacramento, California.

Last year’s national runner-up Grand Valley State is slotted at No. 2 and looking to contend for another podium finish. The Lakers return four of those seven athletes, including national runner-up Klaudia O’Malley. Other returning All-Americans from that group are Taryn Chapko (14th), Natalie Graber (35th) and Kayce Rypma (36th).

Augustana (S.D.) will begin the season at No. 3. The Vikings, who finished third at the NCAA Championships, welcome back a talented group of veteran athletes that features four All-Americans: Megan Means was the Vikings top finisher at eighth, Nicolette Schmidt was 20th, PJ English was 28th and Mia Salas ended up in 32nd. Several newcomers are also expected to bolster their lineup.

Colorado School of Mines enters the 2022 campaign at No. 4. The Orediggers welcome back six of their top-7 from their fourth-place NCAA team, which include two All-Americans: Zoe Backer finished 19th and Molly Maksin placed 23rd.

UC-Colorado Springs rounds out the preseason top-5. The Mountain Lions return four of their top-5 runners from last year’s seventh-place team, including All-Americans Layla Almasri (12th) and Riley McGrath (39th).

Here are the rest of the top-10 teams in the preseason: No. 6 Wingate, No. 7 Western Colorado, No. 8 Saginaw Valley State, No. 9 Simon Fraser and No. 10 Lee (Tenn.).

Mark your calendars for Friday, December 2, as the 2022 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships will take place at Chambers Bay Golf Club in Tacoma, Washington!