2019 NCAA DII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 6
NEW ORLEANS – An exciting weekend of Conference Championship racing led to some movement in this week’s version of the NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, released Wednesday afternoon by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Eight teams climbed up the leaderboard and three new teams enter this week’s poll, as many are setting program records as we move further into the championship portion of the season.
NCAA Division II — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Colo. School of Mines
Colo. School of Mines
2
Chico State
Chico State
3
Adams State
Adams State
3
Grand Valley State
Grand Valley State
5
Western Colorado
Western Colorado
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Colorado School of Mines showed why they are the unanimous No. 1 team in the country with a dominating performance at the RMAC Championships. The Orediggers scored 21 points en route to their third title in the last four years, defeating now No. 3 Adams State (60 points) and No. 5 Western Colorado (88 points). Dylan Ko took home the individual title for the Orediggers in 23:20.9 for 8K and led their scoring contingent to a 1-5-6-7-9 finish.
No. 2 Chico State moved up one spot following their 18th consecutive CCAA Championship. The Wildcats placed four runners in the top-10 of the field and defeated CCAA runner-up Cal State San Marcos 33-72. The Cougars moved up four spots to No. 16 following their performance and achieved their highest placement in program history.
Three GLIAC schools moved up in the rankings following one of the closest contested GLIAC Championships in recent years. Grand Valley State moving up one spot to No. 3 to sit in a tie with Adams State. The Lakers topped Michigan Tech 44-57 and were led to their 18th straight GLIAC title by Tanner Chada, posting a personal best at 8K to win the individual title in 23:55.7. Saginaw Valley State finished four points behind Michigan Tech to come in third overall in the team standings with 61 points.
With their finishes, the Huskies moved up two spots to No. 8 to set a new program record, while the Cardinals soared 10 spots from No. 24 to No. 14 this week.
Alabama-Huntsville jumped four spots to No. 9 to earn its highest placement in program history. The Chargers defeated now No. 12 Lee (Tenn.) 35-52 for the Gulf South Conference title and their first since 2013.
For the third week in a row, Northwest Missouri set another program and come in at No. 11 following a one spot bump. The Bearcats had three runners go 2-3-4 to lead them to a runner-up finish at the MIAA Championships behind No. 6 Missouri Southern. The Lions and individual champion Gidieon Kimutai successfully defended their MIAA titles, with Kimutai traversing the 8K course in a new personal best of 23:37.3.
Walsh, moving up one spot from No. 24 to No. 23, won the GMAC Cross Country Championships. This is the second conference title in three years for the Cavaliers as they put five runners in the top-14.
Three new teams enter the National Coaches’ Poll this week – No. 21 Western Washington, previously not ranked, won its fifth GNAC title in program history and first since 2009 for their highest national ranking this season. No. 24 Augusta achieved its highest placement in program history and is in the top-25 for the first time this year following a Peach Belt Conference title. No. 25 Roberts Wesleyan won the East Coast Conference title with 19 points and received the nod to the National Coaches’ Poll for the first time in program history.
