2019 NCAA DI Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 2
NEW ORLEANS – Results of the first major weekend of the 2019 season swayed the voters in the NCAA Division I Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, but not enough to change the top-5.
Twenty of the top-30 teams swapped spots from Week 1, yet none of those considered to be favorites to end up on the podium come Saturday, November 23 at the 2019 NCAA DI Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Let’s take a look at the most recent poll, which was released on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
NCAA Division I — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Northern Arizona
Northern Arizona
2
BYU
BYU
3
Washington
Washington
4
Colorado
Colorado
5
Iowa State
Iowa State
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Northern Arizona headlines the poll for the 24th consecutive week after dominating the John McNichols Invitational this past weekend. The Lumberjacks put four runners in the top-6 and took down four other teams that were ranked in the top-25 at the time, including No. 5 Iowa State and No. 7 Stanford.
NAU just matched the second longest modern-era streak atop any national poll conducted by the USTFCCCA. The Lumberjacks are now tied with North Central (Ill.), a team that dominated the NCAA Division III Men’s National Coaches’ Poll from 2010 to 2012. Next up would be the all-time best of 27 weeks in a row, established by the NCAA DIII Johns Hopkins women from 2015 to 2017.
Washington remained at No. 3 following a fifth-place finish at the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown, where it was led by Talon Hull. The Huskies rested a number of athletes who are expected to be in their top-7 by season’s end.
The aforementioned Cardinal moved up one spot from last week – No. 7 to No. 6 – after a runner-up finish at the John McNichols Invitational. Thomas Ratcliffe finished second individually behind Edwin Kurgat of Iowa State as Stanford put four runners in the top-15 and took down the still fifth-ranked Cyclones. The Cardinal still own the lone remaining first-place vote that is keeping NAU from being unanimous.
Notre Dame leapfrogged Wisconsin into ninth place following a dominant win at the National Catholic Invitational this past weekend. The Irish had six of the top-7 finishers – including individual champion Dylan Jacobs – and swept the proceedings to move back within one spot of their best ranking in the past 12 years.
Syracuse is now ranked No. 12 after winning the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown. The Orange proved to be the King of Franklin Park once again as it won its third consecutive meet title and the fourth in the past five years.
A little further down the poll, Purdue and Middle Tennessee both climbed five spots. The Boilermakers, who went from No. 24 to No. 19, finished a strong fourth at the John McNichols Invitational, while the Blue Raiders, who went from No. 26 to No. 21, are still riding high from their team title at the Commodore Classic.
Eastern Kentucky was the lone new addition to the poll at No. 28. This is the eighth time in the past nine years that the Colonels have been ranked in the top-35.
Be sure to check back next week as the results of the Bill Dellinger Invitational should shift the National Coaches’ Poll even more. There are six teams ranked in the top-30 that are scheduled to compete in Springfield, Oregon: No. 2 BYU, No. 7 Portland, No. 11 Oregon, No. 24 UCLA, No. 27 Air Force and No. 29 Villanova.
