2019 NCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 2
NEW ORLEANS – Be ready to race when your number is called or lose your spot.
That’s how it goes in the Thunderdome, a.k.a. the NCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, these days.
While the top-5 teams in the weekly index remained the same in the most recent iteration that was released on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), 22 of the 30 remaining teams shifted spots between Week 1 and Week 2.
NCAA Division III — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
North Central (Ill.)
North Central (Ill.)
2
Williams
Williams
3
Washington (Mo.)
Washington (Mo.)
4
Wartburg
Wartburg
5
UW-La Crosse
UW-La Crosse
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
North Central (Ill.) received six of the eight possible first-place votes after flexing its muscles at the Wheaton Gil Dodds Invitational this past weekend. The Cardinals, who have now tied a modern-era program record with their 24th consecutive week on top of the National Coaches’ Poll, won the team title with just 29 points as they put all seven of its runners in the top-13.
Washington (Mo.) remained at No. 3 and finished runner-up to North Central (Ill.) this past weekend. The Bears raced strong at the Wheaton Gil Dodds Invitational with their entire scoring lineup in the top-15, led by Joe Stover (fourth) and Marco Quaroni (fifth).
Carnegie Mellon jumped one spot from No. 7 to No. 6 despite not racing. The Tartans are still riding the high from winning the Allegheny Classic two weeks ago. It really couldn’t have gone much better as Carnegie Mellon’s athletes swept the top-7 places.
Further down in the poll, UChicago improved two spots from No. 14 to No. 12 after its performance at the Wheaton Gil Dodds Invitational. The Maroons, led by an individual title from Ryan Cutter, nearly topped WashU for second place at the meet. This is the best ranking for UChicago since the 2012 season.
Including the Maroons, there were seven teams that soared multiple spots between Week 1 and Week 2: No. 18 Emory (up two from No. 20), No. 21 UC Santa Cruz (up two from No. 23), No. 24 Dickinson (up six from No. 30), No. 28 St. Olaf (up three from No. 31), No. 31 WPI (up from the Land of Receiving Votes) and No. 35 St. Lawrence (up from the Land of Receiving Votes) were the others.
We’re likely to see a bunch of movement next week as six top-35 teams are in action at the Purple Valley Classic: No. 2 Williams, No. 10 MIT and No. 16 RPI, No. 18 Amherst, No. 21 Middlebury and No. 34 Connecticut College.
Be sure to check back each and every week as the National Coaches’ Poll will continue to evolve ahead of the 2019 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships on November 23 in Louisville, Kentucky!
The next National Coaches’ Poll will be released on Wednesday, October 2.
