2017 NCAA DII Cross Country Region Rankings — Week 6

NEW ORLEANS – Conference championship weekend came and went at the NCAA Division II level and those meets set forth a domino effect of change in the sixth week of the NCAA Division II Cross Country Regional Rankings released Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

A bevy of upsets peppered most of the conference championships, altering the landscape of the rankings, as the top-three teams in three women’s regions and five men’s regions are different from a week ago.  

REGIONAL RANKINGS SUMMARY PDF

REGIONAL RANKINGS – 2017 WEEK BY WEEK

REGIONAL RANKINGS – ALL-TIME WEEK BY WEEK

For those who don’t know, the USTFCCCA Regional Cross Country Rankings are determined subjectively by a single member coach in each respective region. The regional representative is tasked with weighing returning teams’ strength with current season results (if applicable) in determining predicted team finishes at the NCAA Regional Championships.

COMPLETE RANKINGS: MEN | WOMEN

Atlantic Region

Two women’s teams made some ground in the Atlantic Region in Kutztown (third) and West Chester (fourth). Kutztown finished third at the PSAC Championships and was immediately followed in the results by West Chester. Edinboro – the region leader – won the PSAC title, while runner-up Shippensburg sits second in the rankings.

On the men’s side, Shippensburg remained the team to beat as it took home the PSAC championship. Edinboro and Indiana (Pa.) finished 2-3 at the PSAC Championship, in addition to being second and third, respectively, in the Atlantic Region.

Central Region

The top-three teams in both the men’s and women’s rankings of the Central Region stayed put after a week of action. Augustana (S.D.), Lindenwood and Central Missouri went 1-2-3 in the men’s rankings, with the first two teams claiming conference titles over the weekend.

On the women’s side, Pittsburg State (MIAA), U-Mary (NSIC) and Oklahoma Baptist (GAC) all won their conference championships to remain in first, second and third, respectively, in the region.

Each side saw a new fourth team in the rankings, as the Minnesota Duluth men and women had a solid weekend by both finishing as runner-up at the NSIC Championships.

East Region

Much like the Central Region, the East Region did not see movement in the rankings until the fourth spot. Roberts Wesleyan made a five-spot jump in the men’s rankings to fourth after capturing the ECC Championship. On the women’s side, Merrimack moved up one spot after a third-place showing at the Northeast 10 XC Championship.

The men’s top-three remained Stonehill, American International and Southern New Hampshire. Stonehill, Assumption and Roberts Wesleyan went 1-2-3 in the women’s ranking.

Midwest Region

Hillsdale gained some ground in the women’s portion of the Midwest Region after taking home the GMAC title this past weekend. They leapfrogged Walsh for second place in the rankings after defeating them at the aforementioned meet. Grand Valley State remained the team to beat in the region, as the Lakers easily captured the GLIAC Championship.

Spots one through eight in the men’s rankings mimicked last week’s poll, with GVSU, Southern Indiana and Lewis holding down the top-three spots.

South Region

While Lee (Tenn.) managed to hold onto the top spot in both the men’s and women’s rankings in the South Region, the teams below them a week ago could not say the same.

Alabama-Huntsville and Embry-Riddle (Fla.) moved up one and three spots, respectively, in the women’s rankings to round out the top-three. Alabama-Huntsville finished right behind champion Lee (Tenn.) at the Gulf South XC Championships while Embry-Riddle (Fla.) placed three runners in the top-10 to take home the team title at the Sunshine State Conference Championships.

Alabama-Huntsville’s men’s squad remained in second place, but Florida Southern made a valiant push to move into third after winning the Sunshine State Conference Championship with four runners in the top-10.

South Central Region

The South Central Region saw the most disruption to the polls, as there is a new leader in the men’s rankings.  Colorado Mines pulled off a major upset to take home the RMAC Championship, beating Adams State and forcing them into second place in the region. Western State also made a small push into third place after placing third in the aforementioned meet.

The Grizzly women dominated the RMAC Championships, solidifying their first-place ranking in the region, while Colorado Mines jumped up one spot after a runner-up performance in the same meet. Dallas Baptist took home the Heartland Conference title, giving them the third-place spot in the region.

Southeast Region

The Southeast Region was relatively unscathed after a weekend of action, as the women’s side saw its top-nine teams remain put in place from a week ago. Queens (N.C.), Mount Olive and North Georgia remain the top-three teams on that side of the rankings.

As for the men, the top-four teams in Mount Olive, Queens (N.C.), Augusta and UNC Pembroke all held down their respective spots from a week ago. The first movement in either sides of the Southeast Region came in the fifth-spot of the men’s rankings, where Wingate moved up a spot after a second-place finish at the South Atlantic Championships.

West Region

The runners-up in the men’s and women’s rankings of the West Region changed this week, but otherwise, the rankings were quite similar to a week ago.

Cal Baptist moved up one spot to second in the men’s rankings after claiming the PacWest Championship, knocking Cal Poly Pomona down to third. The Broncos finished second at the CCAA Championships, 45 points behind conference champion and regional leader Chico State.

On the women’s side, Alaska Anchorage destroyed the competition at the GNAC Championships, upsetting Simon Fraser, who moved to third after the Seawolves jump to second. Cal Baptist’s women won the PacWest Championship, as well, remaining in first in the region.