2018 NCAA DII Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 4
NEW ORLEANS – There were more changes to be had in Week Four of the NCAA Division II Cross Country Regional Rankings that were released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday after the running of a prestigious meet with some of the top teams in the nation.
That meet was the Lewis University Conference Cross-Over that saw nine nationally and 17 regionally ranked teams compete in both the men’s and women’s fields. The men’s side had seven of the top-15 squads in the country while the women had four of the top-15 units at the meet.
Along with the running of other meets around the nation, the recent trend of changes to the regional rankings continued as five of the eight regions had movement to its top-5 for the men while four of the eight regions had changes for the women.
The men’s side of the rankings also saw two new programs get crowned at No. 1 in the East and Southeast Regions.
Jump to Regional Coaches’ Rankings:
MEN: Atlantic | Central | East | Midwest | South | South Central | Southeast | West
WOMEN: Atlantic | Central | East | Midwest | South | South Central | Southeast | West
Keep reading for more information on the rankings including overviews of each region as well as the full top-15 lists at the bottom of the post.
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.
Atlantic Region
Despite the majority of the nation seeing change there was nothing to be had in the top-five in the Atlantic Region.
The men’s side remained the same from the previous rankings as No. 1 Edinboro was followed by No. 2 Shippensburg, No. 3 Charleston (W. Va.), No. 4 Lock Haven and No. 5 Kutztown. There has not been a change to the top-three of the region in four consecutive rankings.
The women’s side experienced no change for the second-straight week as No. 1 Edinboro was trailed by No. 2 Shippensburg, No. 3 Kutztown, No. 4 Seton Hill and No. 5 West Chester.
A big weekend for this group is on the horizon as a lot of the teams will do battle at The Pre-National Invitational hosted by Slippery Rock on October 20.
Central Region
The men of the Central Region saw no change to the top-five while the women got their first movement since the preseason.
For the men the top-five was made up by No. 1 Augustana (S.D.), No. 2 Missouri Southern, No. 3 Sioux Falls, No. 4 Minnesota State and No. 5 Neb.-Kearney. It is fourth consecutive poll that the top-five has seen no movement.
While the No. 1 and No. 2 spots remained with U-Mary and Augustana (S.D.) on the women’s side of things, respectively, No. 3 Pittsburg State and No. 4 Oklahoma Baptist traded spots from the previous rankings. Southwest Baptist held firm in the No. 5 spot.
East Region
There’s a new top squad for the men in the East Region while the women had some new programs enter the top-five.
The No. 1 rank belongs to the men from Stonehill after a three-week stay by now No. 2 American International in the top spot. Stonehill was slotted at No. 1 in the east in the opening preseason rankings.
No. 3 Southern New Hampshire improved one spot while Southern Connecticut dropped three to No. 4. Roberts Wesleyan kept in its previous spot at No. 5.
The top-three on the women’s side remained the same with No. 1 Stonehill, No. 2 Roberts Wesleyan and No. 3 Merrimack. Southern New Hampshire improved one spot to No. 4 while Saint Rose climbed two to No. 5.
It is the first change to the top-five in the region in three rankings. Saint Rose also entered the top-five for the first time this season, the program’s highest rank since 2013.
Midwest Region
Grand Valley State remained the top team in the Midwest Region on both sides for the fifth-straight week to open the season.
The Laker men were followed by No. 2 Saginaw Valley State, No. 3 Walsh and No. 4 Malone who each improved one from the previous rankings. Southern Indiana rounded out the top-five at No. 5.
It was the first change to the top-five in three rankings.
The top-three on the women’s side stayed the same as the Lakers were trailed by No. 2 Walsh and No. 3 Hillsdale. No. 4 Drury and No. 5 Michigan Tech traded spots from the previous rankings to make up the rest of the top-five.
South Region
While there wasn’t much the South Region continued the trend of movement for both the men’s and women’s teams in the rankings.
The men were led by No. 1 Lee (Tenn.), No. 2 Embry-Riddle (Fla.), No. 3 Mississippi College and No. 4 Alabama-Huntsville. Saint Leo improved one to move back into the top-five at No. 5.
Lee (Tenn.) was also the top women’s program and the unit was followed by No. 2 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) who improved one from the previous ranks. Trading spots with them was No. 3 Tampa while No. 4 Florida Southern and No. 5 Union (Tenn.) remained pat in the top-five.
South Central Region
The South Central Region remained exactly the same but one could expect that if they have been following the rankings each week. The region has saw no movement in the top-five of either the men’s or women’s ranks as each has remained the same for five-straight weeks to open the season.
The men’s top-five was No. 1 Adams State, No. 2 Colorado Mines, No. 3 Western State, No. 4 CSU-Pueblo and No. 5 Dallas Baptist.
Adams State also remained at No. 1 on the women’s side. The top-five was rounded out by No. 2 Western State, No. 3 Colorado Mines, No. 4 UC-Colorado Springs and No. 5 Dallas Baptist.
Southeast Region
There’s a new No. 1 on the men’s side in the Southeast Region.
Queens (N.C.) retook the top spot after holding it for the first three rankings to open the year. The group is fresh off a second-place performance at the Lewis Cross-Over.
The rest of the top-five belonged to No. 2 Mount Olive, No. 3 Augusta, No. 4 UNC Pembroke and No. 5 Georgia College.
The women experienced no change as the top-five remained the same.
Queens (N.C) was No. 1 while No. 2 Mount Olive, No. 3 North Georgia, No. 4 Anderson (S.C.) and No. 5 Wingate rounded out the top-five. Queens (N.C.) and Mount Olive have held in the No. 1-2 spots since the preseason rankings.
West Region
Chico State was the top team for the men in the West Region but the rest of the top-five saw a shake up. No. 2 Simon Fraser and No. 3 Cal Poly Pomona each improved one from the previous rank. Western Washington shot up two to No. 4 while the top-five was rounded out by No. 5 UC San Diego. It is the highest rank for Western Washington since 2016.
Unlike the men the women’s side say no movement as the top-five was No. 1 Chico State, No. 2 Alaska Anchorage, No. 3 Simon Fraser, No. 4 Azusa Pacific and No. 5 Seattle Pacific. The top-three teams in the region have remained the same all season.
