Three New No. 1 Teams In NCAA DIII XC Regional Rankings

NEW ORLEANS — Movement in the NCAA Division III Cross Country Regional Rankings is a given at this point of the season as teams are fighting for valuable at-large wins and gearing up for the postseason, which is approaching faster and faster each day.

Most of the changes in the most recent rankings, released Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) were contained to the women’s rankings this week as there were two new No. 1 teams and another that moved up to the all-important No. 2 spot behind a consensus No. 1.

QUICK LINKS: Regional Rankings Summary PDF | Men’s Rankings | Women’s Rankings | Rankings Central

We’ll go alphabetically and start in the Central Region where both women’s teams from Carleton and St. Olaf jumped St. Thomas (Minn.). The Knights were idle this past weekend after a strong showing at the St. Olaf Invitational two weeks ago (2nd place). The Oles and Tommies both competed in the Suzy Wilson Women’s Maroon Competition at the Roy Griak Invitational and placed second and third, respectively. By virtue of Carleton’s win over St. Olaf at its own invitational, the Knights take over the No. 1 spot, while the Oles assumed the No. 2 spot and St. Thomas falls to No. 3.

Moving to the New England Region, the Purple Valley Classic had some major implications on this group. One of the biggest DIII meets to date this season saw MIT, led by Megan McCandless‘ individual title, finish second behind SUNY Geneseo. The host Ephs, paced by Emma Zehner (3rd overall), finished third in the team standings. With that head-to-head win, the Engineers pushed ahead of Williams to the No. 1 spot in the region — and in turn, leaving many to wonder what this result will do to the Ephs’ stranglehold atop the national poll.

Staying in the women’s rankings, Dickinson moved up two spots in the Mideast Region to No. 2. The Red Devils were sixth at the Purple Valley Classic and Sofia Canning was their top finisher in fifth place.

The biggest change in the men’s rankings came in the Great Lakes Region, where Calvin and Mount Union played "hot potato" with the No. 1 spot once again. The Knights looked incredibly strong at the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) XC Jamboree this past weekend and scored 18 points, three from perfect. Calvin’s runners went 1-2-3-5-7, led by individual champion Zac Nowicki (25:22.7).

Another notable mover and shaker in the men’s rankings was that of St. Lawrence in the Atlantic Region. The Saints went from No. 6 to No. 3 and settled in right behind SUNY Geneseo and RPI.

The NCAA Division III Regional Championships will be held November 12 across the nation. Then the 2016 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships will take place one week later in Louisville, Kentucky at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park.

See below for more information on the rankings, including overviews of each region as well as the full top-10 lists at the bottom of this post.