D3 Regional XC Preview

NEW ORLEANS – Are you ready for what promises to be an absoutely crazy weekend in NCAA Division III Cross Country? Let’s face it: What weekend hasn’t been so far?

Each of the eight regions – Atlantic, Central, Great Lakes, Mideast, Midwest, New England, South/Southeast and West – will hold their annual championship meets on Saturday. Five of those meets will happen simultaneously in the Eastern Time Zone (Atlantic, Great Lakes, Mideast, New England and South/Southeast) and two will go off at the same time in the Central Time Zone (Central and Midwest).

So meets should have the most impact on the final National Coaches’ Polls next Wednesday? Good question.

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On the men’s side, the Midwest Region and the New England Region have the most at stake.

Current No. 1 UW-Eau Claire goes up against the team from which it stole the No. 1 ranking North Central (Ill.). The Blugolds will have their hands full trying to hold off the resurgent Cardinals. Expect fireworks in the individual race as UW-Eau Claire’s Josh Thorson, UW-Platteville’s Ian LaMere and North Central’s Zach Plank should all be three-wide in the final 800 meters.

Over in Waterford, Connecticut, there are three top-10 teams vying for the title – No. 2 Williams, No. 5 Amherst and No. 8 MIT. Based on past performances, the Ephs could run away with the crown, while the individual race will come down to the wire between Amherst’s Mohamed Hussein and Williams’ Bijan Mazaheri.

For the women, the results of the races in the Atlantic Region and the New England Region could shake things up in a big way.

There are five top-20 teams contending for the championship in Castile, New York – No. 6 SUNY Geneseo, No. 10 RPI, No. 13 St. Lawrence, No. 15 SUNY Oneonta and No. 17 Rochester (N.Y.). A strong showing by Geneseo could move it up the rankings, while RPI, St. Lawrence and SUNY Oneonta would love to knock the Knights out of NCAA contention.

Just like the men’s field, the women’s race in the New England Region is loaded with top-10 teams as No. 2 Williams, No. 3 MIT, No. 5 Tufts and No. 8 Middlebury are all in contention.

All of these teams are looking to impress the selection committee and earn a berth to next week’s NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships in Winneconne, Wisconsin.