2017 NCAA DIII Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 4

NEW ORLEANS – It’s business as usual atop the most recent NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll that was released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCCA).

None of the teams in the top-8 moved as Johns Hopkins is still No. 1, followed by No. 2 Washington (Mo.), No. 3 MIT, No. 4 SUNY Geneseo, No. 5 Williams, No. 6 Chicago, No. 7 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and No. 8 Dickinson.

NCAA Division III National Coaches’ Poll Top 5 – Women 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Johns Hopkins Washington (Mo.) MIT SUNY Geneseo Williams

CLICK HERE FOR THE NATIONAL SUMMARY (PDF)

A lot changed from No. 9 to No. 35, though.

Middlebury and UW-Eau Claire are back in the top-10 at No. 9 and No. 10, respectively. The Panthers hung tough in the Gold Race at the Paul Short Run and were rewarded justly. The rise of the Blugolds continues as they’ve gone from No. 23 in the preseason to No. 10 in Week 4 – which is the first time they’ve graced the top-10 since 2013. UW-Eau Claire captured the team title at its own Blugold Invitational this past weekend.

Further down in the National Coaches’ Poll you’ll find TCNJ at No. 22. This is the Lions’ best ranking since 2013 when they were eighth in Week 8. TCNJ placed third against competition from NCAA DII and NCAA DIII in the Brown Race at the Paul Short Run and packed up well as its top-4 runners crossed the finish line in 11th, 12th, 19th and 23rd.

Otterbein climbed 10 spots from No. 33 to No. 23 after winning its third consecutive NCAA DIII team title at the All-Ohio Championships. The Cardinals topped runner-up Kenyon by 21 points (49-70) and had the top-2 runners thanks to Claire Lamb and Heather Sandvik.

Linfield returned to the poll at No. 29 following a sixth-place finish at the Charles Bowles Invitational hosted by Willamette. Emma Knudson (14th) and Courtney Beard (16th) finished as the Wildcats’ top-2 runners.

Trinity (Texas) improved from receiving votes to No. 33, while Brandeis is No. 35.

Be sure to check back in each week as the National Coaches’ Poll will continue to shift in advance of the 2017 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships on November 18 in Elsah, Illinois.