New Mexico Strengthens Hold On Top Spot in Women’s Poll
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The main portion of the NCAA Division I Cross Country season is here! Follow along LIVE with the biggest meets of the weekend – the Battle in Beantown and the Roy Griak Invite – on the USTFCCCA National Results Wall! |
NEW ORLEANS – The New Mexico women are more of a clear-cut favorite in the NCAA Division I National Coaches’ Poll, as released Tuesday afternoon by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
One week after earning its first No. 1 ranking in program history, the Lobos took one of Iowa State’s first-place votes. Nine voters ranked New Mexico at the top of their ballots, while the second-ranked Cyclones headed two.
National PDFs: Top 30 Summary | Week-by-Week 2015 | Week-by-Week All Time
Regional Rankings: Summary | Recap
The National Coaches’ Poll vote occurred before news came out on Tuesday morning that Iowa State’s seventh-place NCAA finisher Crystal Nelson will be redshirting the 2015 season.
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Defending national champion Michigan State once again earned a first-place vote, but fell out of the top-5. Colorado remained at No. 3, but both Georgetown (No. 4) and Stanford (No. 5) leapfrogged the Spartans, who dominated their own invitational without the services of Lindsay Clark and Katie Landwehr.
Oregon and Providence remained at No. 7 and No. 8, while Michigan found its way back into the top-10 for the first time since Week 6 last year. The Wolverines secured the team title at the Vanderbilt Commodore Classic after putting four runners in the top-10, led by individual champion junior Erin Finn.
North Carolina State climbed three spots from No. 16 to No. 13 after a strong effort at the adidas XC Challenge. The Wolfpack were led by National Athlete of the Week Ryen Frazier, who won the individual title and set a course record in the process.
Outside of NC State, no team jumped more than two spots or fell more than two. Notre Dame, led by freshman Anna Rohrer, won the National Catholic Cross Country Invitational and is now No. 18 after spending time at No. 20 last week.
Next week might have a few more changes as two big meets take place this weekend. There will be five top-30 teams in the field at the Roy Griak Invitational (No. 2 Iowa State, No. 6 Michigan State, No. 20 Boise State, No. 26 Minnesota and No. 30 California), while three will be at the Coast-to-Coast Battle at Beantown (No. 4 Georgetown, No. 8 Providence, No. 19 Syracuse and No. 25 Dartmouth).
Most of these teams in the top-30 will also be represented come November at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Louisville, Kentucky.
USTFCCCA NCAA Division I |
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Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll |
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2015 Week #2 — September 22 |
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| next poll: September 29 | ||||||
| Rank | Institution (FPV) | Points | Region | Conference | Cross Country Coach (Yr*) |
Last Week
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| 1 | New Mexico (9) | 357 | Mountain | Mountain West | Joe Franklin (9th) |
1
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| 2 | Iowa State (2) | 331 | Midwest | Big 12 | Andrea Grove-McDonough (3rd) |
2
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| 3 | Colorado | 329 | Mountain | Pac-12 | Mark Wetmore (21st) |
3
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| 4 | Georgetown | 311 | Mid-Atlantic | Big East | Michael Smith (4th) |
5
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| 5 | Stanford | 302 | West | Pac-12 | Chris Miltenberg (4th) |
6
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| 6 | Michigan State (1) | 300 | Great Lakes | Big Ten | Walt Drenth (12th) |
4
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| 7 | Oregon | 295 | West | Pac-12 | Robert Johnson (4th) |
7
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| 8 | Providence | 284 | Northeast | Big East | Ray Treacy (32nd) |
8
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| 9 | Michigan | 268 | Great Lakes | Big Ten | Mike McGuire (24th) |
12
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| 10 | Arkansas | 255 | South Central | SEC | Lance Harter (26th) |
9
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| 11 | Wisconsin | 241 | Great Lakes | Big Ten | Mick Byrne (2nd) |
10
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| 12 | West Virginia | 217 | Mid-Atlantic | Big 12 | Sean Cleary (9th) |
11
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| 13 | NC State | 198 | Southeast | ACC | Laurie Henes (10th) |
16
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| 14 | Washington | 197 | West | Pac-12 | Greg Metcalf (14th) |
14
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| 15 | William and Mary | 193 | Southeast | Colonial | Natalie Hall (2nd) |
13
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| 16 | Virginia | 179 | Southeast | ACC | Todd Morgan (4th) |
15
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| 17 | Penn State | 162 | Mid-Atlantic | Big Ten | John Gondak (2nd) |
18
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| 18 | Notre Dame | 145 | Great Lakes | ACC | Matt Sparks (2nd) |
20
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| 19 | Syracuse | 141 | Northeast | ACC | Chris Fox (11th) |
17
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| 20 | Boise State | 137 | West | Mountain West | Corey Ihmels (3rd) |
19
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| 21 | North Carolina | 123 | Southeast | ACC | Mark VanAlstyne (4th) |
21
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| 22 | Vanderbilt | 89 | South | SEC | Steve Keith (10th) |
22
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| 23 | BYU | 75 | Mountain | West Coast | Patrick Shane (34th) |
24
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| 24 | Villanova | 71 | Mid-Atlantic | Big East | Gina Procaccio (16th) |
23
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| 25 | Dartmouth | 62 | Northeast | Ivy | Courtney Jaworski (2nd) |
25
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| 26 | Minnesota | 58 | Midwest | Big Ten | Sarah Hopkins (3rd) |
26
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| 27 | Texas | 49 | South Central | Big 12 | Mario Sategna (3rd) |
27
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| 28 | Oklahoma State | 46 | Midwest | Big 12 | Dave Smith (7th) |
28
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| 29 | Princeton | 35 | Mid-Atlantic | Ivy | Pete Farrell (38th) |
29
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| 30 | California | 27 | West | Pac-12 | Tony Sandoval (34th) |
30
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| Others Receiving Votes: Mississippi State 23, New Hampshire 20, Baylor 15, Alabama 10, Florida State 10, Arizona State 6, SMU 5, Northern Arizona 5, Lipscomb 3, Cornell 3, Eastern Kentucky 2, Columbia 1 | ||||||
| Dropped Out: (none) | ||||||
| (* year as effective coach of that team in women’s cross country) | ||||||
