2019 NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 4
NEW ORLEANS – This weekend of meets really shook up this week’s edition of the NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings, as released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Monday.
There are four new No. 1 teams and numerous changes in the top-5 as the season begins to pick up.
SEE MORE: NCAA DI Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings
GREAT LAKES REGION
There were no changes in the Great Lakes Region between Week 3 and Week 4.
No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Wisconsin are favored to receive automatic bids into NCAAs, while Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Ohio State sit at No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5, respectively.
MID-ATLANTIC REGION
There were some changes in the Mid-Atlantic between Week 3 and Week 4.
Following a strong showing at the Paul Short Run, Penn is the new No. 1 team after moving up five spots for their highest ranking in program history. The Quakers placed third in the gold section of the Paul Short Run at Lehigh University.
Georgetown moved up two spots to sit at No. 2 this week following their fifth place team finish at Paul Short.
Because of the Hoyas’ rise in the rankings, Princeton moved down one spot to No. 3, while West Virginia placed third at the Chile Pepper Festival behind Arkansas and Texas (No. 2 and receiving votes in the national polls, respectively) to earn the No. 4 spot. No. 5 Penn State rounds out the top teams.
MIDWEST REGION
The top-5 in the Midwest are familiar faces, but with new positions from Week 3 to Week 4.
The new No. 1 team is Minnesota following their ninth place finish at the Joe Piane Invitational and topping Ole Miss (No. 14 nationally), and No. 2 Illinois moved up one spot from a week ago.
Iowa State comes in at No. 3, while Oklahoma State and Missouri round out the top-5 at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.
MOUNTAIN REGION
The Joe Piane Invitational created some major changes in the Mountain region from Week 3 to Week 4.
While No. 1 BYU remained at the top, Utah moved up 12 spots to No. 2. The Utes had an incredible showing at Joe Piane to take home the team title, pulling off the upset to defeat Colorado and New Mexico, the top two teams in the national standings. This is the Utes highest ranking in program history.
No. 3 Colorado placed second at Joe Piane, while No. 4 New Mexico placed seventh and moved up five spots. The Lobos are back in the top-5 since the preseason after being off from racing in September.
No. 5 Air Force fell two spots to round out the top teams.
NORTHEAST REGION
There was a little change in the Northeast from Week 3 to Week 4.
Syracuse remained as the No. 1 team in the region, followed by Columbia, who is the new No. 2 this week after jumping over No. 3 Boston College.
Harvard and Yale remained at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, to round out the top-5 teams in the Northeast.
SOUTH REGION
The South saw some adjustments from Week 3 to Week 4.
Florida State and Ole Miss traded places from a week ago and sit at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, and continue to remain as the favorites to receive automatic NCAA bids.
Tennessee moved into the top-5 for the first time this season to come in at No. 3 this week. The Lady Vols moved up six spots following a fourth place finish at the Paul Short Run.
Tennessee’s rise bumped No. 4 Georgia Tech and No. 5 Vanderbilt back one spot each from a week ago.
SOUTH CENTRAL
There was little change in the South Central from Week 3 to Week 4.
No. 1 Arkansas and No. 2 Texas are favored to receive automatic bids to NCAAs, while No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 4 Houston stayed put.
Going from not ranked to No. 5 is Arkansas State for the program’s first-ever top-5 regional appearance. The Red Wolves placed ninth in a strong field at the Chile Pepper Festival and beat numerous regional teams.
SOUTHEAST REGION
The Southeast remained the same between Week 3 and Week 4.
No. 1 NC State and No. 2 Furman remain to be the favorites to receive automatic bids to the NCAA Championships, while Virginia Tech, Duke, and Wake Forest remained at No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5, respectively.
WEST REGION
There was no change in the West between Week 3 and Week 4.
No. 1 Stanford and No. 2 Washington remain as the favorites to receive automatic bids into NCAAs, while No. 3 Boise State, No. 4 Oregon, and No. 5 Oregon State round out the top teams in the region.
