It’s a Top-Five Shuffle in Newest NCAA DII Men’s National Coaches’ Poll

NEW ORLEANS –The finish line at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships in Saint Leo, Florida, on November 19 may be two months and countless miles away, but it’s never too early for a top-five shuffling.

Defending national champion Colorado Mines continued as the favorite in the National Coaches’ Poll announced Wednesday afternoon by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), while the rest of the top five swapped spots from the preseason.

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NCAA Division II National Coaches’ Poll Top 5 – Men 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Colorado Mines Adams State GVSU Chico State Alaska Anchorage View Complete Men’s National Coaches’ Poll

The Orediggers added a first-place vote to its name – bringing its total to six of the possible eight – while RMAC and South Central Region rival Adams State also garnered a first-place nod to move up a spot to No. 2.

Both CSM and ASU posted solid opening efforts to fortify their respective slots in the rankings. The Orediggers topped another RMAC rival, CSU-Pueblo, at Colorado College behind National Athlete of the Week Nathanael Williams, while the Grizzlies dominated their home opener behind winner Sydney Gidabuday.

The Grizzlies’ move bumped Grand Valley State to No. 3, though the Lakers retained a first-place vote. GVSU’s slide could at least be partially explained by the fact it hasn’t yet made its 2016 debut. That will change this weekend at the Michigan State Spartan Invitational.

One day after overtaking Alaska Anchorage for the top spot in the West Region, Chico State also pulled ahead of the Seawolves in the National Coaches’ Poll. The Wildcats moved up one spot to No. 4, while UAA slipped down one position to No. 5.

Chico looked strong as William Reyes led his Wildcats to a perfect score at Humboldt State, while the Seawolves also impressed with a perfect score at the NDNU Argo Invite two weekends ago.

Rounding out the top-10 were No. 6 Shippensburg, No. 7 Augustana (S.D.), No. 8 Southern Indiana, No. 9 Western State and No. 10 Cal Poly Pomona. Western State and Cal Poly Pomona swapped spots from the preseason.

While they may have come up short against the reigning champion Orediggers, no team moved up more in the polls than did No. 11 CSU-Pueblo. Following its narrow loss to CSM, 27-33, the ThunderWolves climbed seven positions to its best mark in program history.

That move was matched by Western Washington, which tied Lock Haven at No. 15. That marks the Vikings best positioning since they were No. 10 entering the 2012 NCAA Championships.

Two new squads joined the top 25 for the first time this season in new East Region favorite No. 19 Stonehill and No. 23 SF State.

See the full National Coaches’ Polls below.