2019 NCAA DI Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 1
NEW ORLEANS – Early season results haven’t altered the NCAA Division I Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings too much. In fact, all of the teams who were ranked in the top-2 in the preseason index remained in place in Week 1 with minimal shifts otherwise.
Don’t expect that to continue, though.
The season is about to pick up as we just passed the first countable date for at-large consideration for the 2019 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships on November 23 in Terre Haute, Indiana.
CLICK HERE TO SEE WOMEN’S REGIONAL RANKINGS
Great Lakes Region
Not much changed in the Great Lakes Region in Week 1.
Wisconsin and Notre Dame are still the favorites to earn the two automatic bids, just like they were in the preseason.
Michigan and Indiana were tied in the preseason at No. 3, but the former pushed ahead slightly and took sole possession of that spot. The Wolverines looked strong in a season-opening meet as they won 27-82 over in-state rival Eastern Michigan.
Purdue rounds out the top-5 at No. 5.
Mid-Atlantic Region
Nothing changed in the Mid-Atlantic Region in Week 1.
Princeton and Villanova are still the favorites to earn the two automatic bids, just like they were in the preseason.
The rest of the top-5 is rounded out by Georgetown, Penn and Temple.
Midwest Region
Nothing changed in the Midwest Region in Week 1.
Iowa State and Oklahoma State are still the favorites to earn the two automatic bids, just like they were in the preseason.
The rest of the top-5 is rounded out by Tulsa, Minnesota and Bradley.
Mountain Region
Nothing changed in the Mountain Region in Week 1.
Northern Arizona and BYU continue to headline the chart. The Lumberjacks had a tough test against one of Japan’s top collegiate teams at the season-opening George Kyte Invitational, while the Cougars rolled to an easy win at the BYU Autumn Classic.
The rest of the top-5 is rounded out by Colorado, Colorado State and Wyoming.
Northeast Region
There was a small change in the Northeast Region in Week 1.
Syracuse and Iona still sit No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, but Harvard moved up one spot to No. 3, dropping Army West Point to No. 4. This is only the third time in the past 10 years that the Crimson, who opened things up at the Fordham Fiasco/Ed Joyce Memorial two weeks ago, has been ranked in the top-3 of the region.
Dartmouth rounds out the top-5 at No. 5.
South Region
There was a small change in the South Region in Week 1.
Ole Miss and Florida State still sit No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, but Middle Tennessee State moved up one spot to No. 3, which dropped Alabama down to No. 4. The Blue Raiders won the Commodore Classic this past weekend and beat GL #4 Indiana 52-59.
Georgia Tech held steady at No. 5.
South Central Region
Nothing changed in the South Central Region in Week 1.
Arkansas and Texas are still No. 1 and No. 2 in the region and favored to earn automatic bids, just like they were in the preseason.
The rest of the top-5 is rounded out by Texas A&M, Rice and North Texas.
Southeast Region
Nothing changed in the Southeast Region in Week 1.
NC State and Virginia are still the favorites to earn automatic bids come November. The Wolfpack has yet to open up, while the Cavaliers won their Cavalier Classic this past weekend by a score of 29-37 over SE #7 Duke. (To wit: Virginia recently named Vin Lananna, an 11-time NCAA-title winning coach, its new Director of Track & Field and Cross Country)
The rest of the top-5 is rounded out by Eastern Kentucky, Virginia Tech and Furman.
West Region
Nothing changed in the West Region in Week 1.
Washington and Portland are still the favorites to earn automatic bids come November. The Huskies open up the season this weekend at the Coast to Coast Battle in Beantown, while the Pilots have two meets under their belt at the Linfield Harrier Classic and the Viking Rust Buster.
The rest of the top-5 is rounded out by Oregon, Stanford and UCLA.
