GVSU Men Take Over Top Spot in DII National Coaches’ Poll

GVSU Men Take Over Top Spot in DII National Coaches’ Poll

NEW ORLEANS – Just one week after their three-time defending national champion female teammates lost their No. 1 rank in NCAA Division II cross country, the Grand Valley State men have ascended to the top of the National Coaches’ Poll released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

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Women’s National Coaches’ Poll

Division II XC Polls/Rankings Central

NCAA Division II National Coaches’ Poll Top 5 – Men

1)Grand Valley State 2)Chico State 3)Adams State 4)Colorado Mines 5)Augustana (S.D.)
GVSU Chico State Adams State Colorado Mines Southern Indiana
View Complete Men’s National Coaches’ Poll

Though the Lakers were idle this past weekend, their win at the Michigan State Spartan Invitational two weekends ago combined with former No. 1 Adams State’s ninth-place showing in the Roy Griak Invitational’s Division I race was enough to push them to No. 1 for just the second time in program history. They garnered six of the eight first-place votes.

GVSU was also ranked No. 1 entering last year’s NCAA Championships before finishing runner-up for the second consecutive year to Adams State.

Not only were the three-time defending NCAA Champion Grizzlies passed up by GVSU in the polls, but also by new No. 2 Chico State. The Wildcats, led by third-place finisher William Reyes, were the top non-DI team at the Stanford Invitational with five finishers in the top-30.

It’s been a long time since Chico State was ranked so highly. Though the Wildcats have been in the top five in all but one poll since the beginning of the 2008 season, they haven’t been No. 2 since the middle of 2006 and haven’t been No. 1 dating back to at least 2000 (the beginning of the USTFCCCA archives).

Two voters this week believed Chico is worthy of that No. 1 rank, as the Wildcats garnered the final two first-place votes.

As long as it’s been since Chico has been inside the top two, it’s been even longer since Adams State – winners of six of the past seven national titles – was outside of it. You have to go all the way back to week eight of the 2004 season for the Grizzlies last No. 3 showing (which is coincidentally also the last time both the Adams State men and Grand Valley State women were both ranked outside the top two), and back to 2002 for their last third-place finish at the NCAA Championships.

These 2015 Grizzlies were ninth at Roy Griak, led by frosh Sydney Gidabuday in 47th, then a pack of three including Jackson Sayler, Dominic Cabada and Brian Glassey in 58th, 59th and 60th, respectively.

The Grizzlies get their next chance to bounce back on October 10 at the Fort Hays State Tiger Open, with the RMAC Championships two weekends later.

RMAC rival Colorado Mines held steady at No. 4, but all but three teams throughout the remainder of the top-25 moved around from a week ago.

New to the No. 5 spot was Southern Indiana after a one-spot improvement, followed by No. 6 Alaska Anchorage in an equivalent move up. No. 7 Cal Poly Pomona moved up two spots as the second-best non-DI team in the field at Stanford behind Chico State, while Augustana (S.D.) dropped three spots to No. 8 after a short-handed third-place effort at Griak.

No. 9 Western State fell one spot from a week ago, while No. 10 Lock Haven moved up one.

New to the poll for the first time in program history at No. 18 was Black Hills State, which won at Roy Griak behind National Athlete of the Week Alec Baldwin.

Making the biggest move of any team already ranked in the men’s poll from a week ago was No. 21 Saginaw Valley State’s four-position improvement.

Returning to the poll at No. 25 was Malone.

The NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships will be held November 21 in Joplin, Missouri.

USTFCCCA NCAA Division II

Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll

2015 Week #3 — September 30

next release: October 7
Rank Institution (FPV) Points Region Conference Head Coach (Yr*)
Last
Week
1 Grand Valley State (6) 198 Midwest GLIAC Jerry Baltes (17th)
2
2 Chico State (2) 192 West CCAA Gary Towne (20th)
3
3 Adams State 186 South Central RMAC Damon Martin (21st)
1
4 Colorado Mines 176 South Central RMAC Chris Siemers (4th)
4
5 Southern Indiana 161 Midwest GLVC Mike Hillyard (18th)
6
6 Alaska Anchorage 160 West GNAC Michael Friess (26th)
7
7 Cal Poly Pomona 148 West CCAA Octavious Gillespie-Bennett (4th)
9
8 Augustana (S.D.) 146 Central NSIC Tracy Hellman (15th)
5
9 Western State 141 South Central RMAC Jennifer Michel (9th)
8
10 Lock Haven 119 Atlantic PSAC Aaron Russell (18th)
11
11 New Mexico Highlands 114 South Central RMAC Bob DeVries (24th)
12
12 UW-Parkside 101 Midwest GLVC Micah VanDenend (6th)
10
13 West Texas A&M 96 South Central Lone Star Darren Flowers (7th)
13
14 Simon Fraser 95 West GNAC Brit Townsend (16th)
14
15 Mount Olive 76 Southeast Conf. Carolinas Matt Van Lierop (7th)
16
16 Shippensburg 74 Atlantic PSAC Steve Spence (18th)
15
17 East Central (Okla.) 72 Central Great American Steve Sawyer (7th)
16
18 Black Hills State 63 South Central RMAC Scott Walkinshaw (18th)
NR
19 Neb.-Kearney 52 Central MIAA Brady Bonsall (9th)
19
20 Western Washington 51 West GNAC Pee Wee Halsell (29th)
18
21 Saginaw Valley State 41 Midwest GLIAC Rod Cowan (6th)
25
22 Cal Baptist 37 West PacWest Ben Gall (4th)
20
23 Stonehill 29 East Northeast-10 Karen Boen (18th)
22
24 UC-Colorado Springs 24 South Central RMAC Mark Misch (9th)
21
25 Malone 15 Midwest GLIAC Jack Hazen (49th)
RV
Also Receiving Votes: Indiana (Pa.) 11, Pittsburg State 11, SF State 8, Roberts Wesleyan 2, Roberts Wesleyan 2, Lee (Tenn.) 1
Dropped Out: No. 23 Sioux Falls, No. 24 Indiana (Pa.)
(* year as head coach of that team in men’s cross country, officially NCAA-recognized coach listed)

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USTFCCCA NCAA Division I
's Cross Country National Coaches' Poll

Preseason - October 22nd

RANK TEAM & INFOPTS-1
FINAL


Week-by-Week Ranking

TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3Week #4
Iowa State11111
Oklahoma State33222
New Mexico22333
Virginia66444
Colorado1313555
Syracuse121211116
Northern Arizona141414137
BYU44668
Alabama1111888
Oregon910121410
Washington State2218232111
Wake Forest109101012
Michigan State3027171613
Butler1515131214
Wisconsin557715
Notre Dame889916
California Baptist1516151517
Tulane2523181718
Princeton1920222019
GeorgiaRVRV20
Harvard2425292821
MissouriRV201922
Air Force2324252323
North Carolina181916RV23
MichiganRVRVRVRV25
Ole Miss2725272426
Stanford67211827
Virginia TechRVRV27
Oklahoma29RVRVRV29
Georgetown2830282430
Tulsa26293027RV
Loyola-Chicago30RV
GonzagaRVRVRV
TexasRV
Texas A&MRV
Arkansas20211922
Eastern Kentucky17172626
Boise StateRVRVRV29
VillanovaRVRVRVRV
WyomingRVRVRV
MinnesotaRV
Utah StateRV
LouisvilleRV
Middle TennesseeRV
Washington212224
Furman3028RV
LipscombRV
PortlandRVRV
TennesseeRVRV
CharlotteRV
IonaRV
Weber StateRV

USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Cross Country

2015 Rankings & Polls Calendar
Weeks Regional RankingsNational Coaches' Poll KEY DATES
PreseasonMon 8/31
MEN | WOMEN
Tue 9/1
MEN | WOMEN
Week 1Mon 9/14
MEN | WOMEN
Tue 9/15
MEN | WOMEN
Week 2Mon 9/21
MEN | WOMEN
Tue 9/22
MEN | WOMEN
Week 3Mon 9/28
MEN | WOMEN
Tue 9/29
MEN | WOMEN
Week 4Mon 10/5
MEN | WOMEN
Tue 10/6
MEN | WOMEN
Week 5Mon 10/19
MEN | WOMEN
Tue 10/20
MEN | WOMEN
Week 6Mon 11/2
MEN | WOMEN
Tue 11/3
MEN | WOMEN
Week 7Mon 11/16
MEN | WOMEN
FINAL Results
(official final ranking)
Fri 11/13
MEN | WOMEN
Sat 11/21
MEN | WOMEN