2019 NCAA DII Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Preseason
NEW ORLEANS–It’s time to toe the line! The NCAA Division II cross country season begins this weekend, and, according to a panel of the nation’s coaches, the Adams State University Grizzlies, begin the season as the No. 1 team in the country. Defending national champion Grand Valley State was ordered at No. 2 to start the season.
NCAA Division II — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Adams State
Adams State
2
Grand Valley State
Grand Valley State
3
Western Colorado
Western Colorado
4
Colo. School of Mines
Colo. School of Mines
5
U-Mary
U-Mary
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
ASU’s women are No. 1 for the ninth-straight poll. They entered last year’s national championships with the top rank, but finished third on the final podium. The members of the polls committee voted unanimously for the squad as their No. 1.
The defending national champion Grand Valley State Lakers earned the unanimous runner-up slot in the poll, matching last year’s preseason ranking. GVSU and head coach Jerry Baltes have won six national women’s cross country titles this decade (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018).
Western Colorado lands No. 3 in the preseason poll for the third-straight year. The Mountaineers have finished on the national podium six times this decade, including their fourth-place showing in 2018.
At No. 4, Colorado School of Mines lands its all-time best ranking, coming off their fifth-place performance at last year’s national championships.
No. 5 U-Mary rounds out the top five with back-to-back, national runner-up performances in its most recent history.
At No. 12, Michigan Tech enjoys its all-time best spot in the national poll after finishing seventh in its first national meet in program history. The program was ranked 24th in the 2018 preseason poll.
The Midwest region, led by No. 2 GVSU, leads the eight regions with seven listed in the preseason top 25. It’s the most for the conference since they had the same tally in the 2016 week three poll. The South Central and Central regions follow with four teams apiece.
Both the RMAC and GNAC have four teams in the national poll. The GLIAC and G-MAC each chime in with three.
Looking ahead, the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships are slated for Saturday, November 23rd in Sacramento, Calif. The national poll has no bearance on selection for the national meet.
