Midwest Region Shuffle Headlines Week Two Division III XC Regional Team Rankings

NEW ORLEANS—After the pollsters installed three new regional No. 1s a week ago, week 2 of the NCAA Division III Cross Country Regional Team Rankings saw things begin to congeal a bit.  Out of 33 teams (there was a tie for No. 2 in the women’s South/Southeast), 30 ranked in the top two in their regions this week were also slotted that high last week.

The regional rankings were released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday morning.

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DIII XC Rankings Central

The biggest shakeup was among the Midwest Region women’s teams, all in response to the Wheaton (Ill.) Gil Dodds Invitational. National No. 19 Washington (Mo.) tied No. 6 Oberlin for the win, and (presumably previously) unranked North Central (Ill.) beat No. 4 Chicago for third. 

As a result, WashU took over the top spot in the Midwest, NCC leapt six places up to No. 3, and Chicago settled into the No. 4 slot.  WashU is the only new regional No. 1 this week.

There were two other huge women’s movers.  St. Thomas (Minn.) ran most of its varsity at the National Catholic Cross Country Invitational at Notre Dame, beating DII No. 18 Lewis, and the Tommies were rewarded with a six-spot jump to No. 3 in the Central region. 

After debuting its full squad with a perfect score at their home meet, Eastern Mennonite catapulted from unranked to tied for No. 2 in the South/Southeast.

In six of the eight men’s regional rankings, the top four teams remained unchanged. The most significant changes came in the Atlantic, where the twelve coaches voting elected to flip flop NYU and SUNY Geneseo (NYU is now No. 2, Geneseo No. 3) and SUNY Oneonta and SUNY Cortland (Oneonta is now No. 4, Cortland No. 8).  The three SUNY teams were shuffled on the basis of the Rochester Yellowjacket results, while NYU’s varsity rested.

Entering the regional rankings for the first time this season are men’s teams Hamilton (Atlantic); Luther (Central); Adrian and Depauw (Great Lakes); and Lewis & Clark (West), and women’s teams Hamilton and Rochester (N.Y.) (Atlantic); Grove City and Moravian (Mideast); Hanover (Great Lakes); Connecticut College (New England); the previously mentioned Eastern Mennonite (South/Southeast); and Puget Sound and Linfield (West).

That’s the first ranking for a Hanover team that exists in the USTFCCCA archives, which currently date back to 2010.

NCAA Division III Regional Championships will be held around the country Saturday, November 15.

USTFCCCA Regional Cross Country Rankings are determined subjectively by a single member coach in each respective region, or by a panel of coaches in the region. The regional representative is tasked with weighing returning team strength with current-season results in determining predicted team finishes at the NCAA Regional Championships.