2019 NCAA DII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 2
NEW ORLEANS – The national scene remained fairly steady, especially within the top-10, after the newest edition of the NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country Coaches’ Poll was released Wednesday.
The top-5 teams in the country are all familiar names, while a handful of programs set new benchmarks for their improved rankings.
NCAA Division II — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Colo. School of Mines
Colo. School of Mines
2
Western Colorado
Western Colorado
3
Chico State
Chico State
4
Grand Valley State
Grand Valley State
5
Adams State
Adams State
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
No. 1 Colorado School of Mines is the unanimous top team in this edition of the polls, once again receiving all eight first-place votes.
No. 4 Grand Valley State fell one spot this week to make up for Chico’s rise, while No. 5 Adams State rounds out the top teams.
There were three teams that made significant jumps up the national leaderboard, moving up five spots each.
Northwest Missouri State set a new program-record as they vaulted to No. 14. Their previous highest ranking dates back to 1997 when they were ranked No. 16. The Bearcats ran a hard fought battle against No. 6 Missouri Southern, placing second to the Lions at the Southern Stampede after having three runners in the top-10.
Walsh jumped to No. 17 from their weekend at the National Catholic Invitational in South Bend, Indiana. The Cavaliers placed second at the meet ahead of Division I Dayton.
No. 18 Biola (Calif.) was the third and final team to move up five spots from their previous ranking to set a new benchmark as a NCAA Division II institution. The Eagles, paced by individual winner Gabe Plendcio, rolled to a team title at The Sundowner Invitational over host Portland.
Other teams that made improvements include No. 11 Sioux Falls (up one from No. 12), No. 12 Alaska Anchorage (up two from No. 14), and No. 19 Queens (N.C.) (up two from No. 12). No. 15 Cal State San Marcos (up three from No. 18) achieved their highest placement in program history.
There are two new teams in the polls for the first time this season. No. 22 Alabama-Huntsville and No. 23 Mount Olive.
Alamaba-Huntsville, previously receiving votes, moved to its highest ranking in program history. The Chargers’ move came from their third-place finish in the team standings at the Southern Stampede, just seven points behind second-place Northwest Missouri State.
The Trojans are back in the polls after romping ing to a team title at the Bulldog Stampede, placing their five runners in the top-8.
While we had some shifts in the leaderboard after the first weekend of at-large countable meets, things will start to get interesting this weekend. A handful of top-25 teams are slated to run at Capital Cross Challenge in Sacramento, California and get a preview of the NCAA Championships course: Colorado School of Mines, Chico State, Alaska Anchorage, Cal State San Marcos, Biola, (Calif.), and Queens (N.C.).
Be sure to check back to see how the season progresses now until November 23, when the 2019 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships will be held at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento, California.
The next National Coaches’ Poll will be released on October 2.
