2019 NCAA DIII Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 6
NEW ORLEANS – There were some major changes to the most recent NCAA Division III Cross Country Regional Rankings that were released on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
A busy weekend of racing meant teams rose and fell through the ranks as the postseason rapidly approaches.
Remember: We’ll find out which teams earn automatic bids to the 2019 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 16.
Men’s Story
Atlantic Region
There was a slight change to the order of the top-5 teams in the Atlantic Region between Week 5 and Week 6.
While SUNY Geneseo and RPI are still favored to earn automatic bids to NCAAs, St. Lawrence soared from No. 5 to No. 3 after a strong effort at the Connecticut College Invitational this past weekend. The Saints finished sixth as a team, ahead of several teams that were ranked ahead of them in the most recent Regional Rankings.
Ithaca and NYU round out the top-5 at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.
Central Region
There was a slight change to the order of the top-5 teams in the Central Region between Week 5 and Week 6.
The top-4 teams remained exactly where they were last week, headlined by Wartburg. Sitting behind the top-ranked Knights, in order, is St. Olaf, Carleton and Luther – but the No. 5 team this week is St. Thomas (Minn.), not Loras. The Tommies finished sixth at the Rowan Inter-Regional Border Battle this past weekend, six points out of fourth.
Great Lakes Region
There were some slight changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the Great Lakes Region between Week 5 and Week 6.
Calvin is back to No. 1 for the fifth time this season after finishing sixth at the Kollege Town Sports Invitational this past weekend. The Knights ran well, putting their first three runners in the top-20.
Otterbein dropped to No. 2, right ahead of John Carroll at No. 3 and Case Western Reserve at No. 4. Mount Union climbed one spot from No. 6 to No. 5.
Mideast Region
There was a slight change to the order of the top-5 teams in the Mideast Region between Week 5 and Week 6.
Carnegie Mellon and Johns Hopkins are still No. 1 and No. 2 after a scintillating battle at the Rowan Inter-Regional Border Battle. The Tartans beat the Blue Jays by just three points as the former’s third and fourth runners made all the difference (10-12, compared to 14-16).
Haverford swapped spots with Dickinson after winning a head-to-head battle this past weekend. The Fords took down the Red Devils at the same Inter-Regional Border Battle.
Elizabethtown comes in at No. 5 to round out the top-5.
Midwest Region
There was a slight change to the order of the top-5 teams in the Midwest Region between Week 5 and Week 6.
North Central (Ill.) continues to hold down the top spot, but UChicago leapfrogged Washington (Mo.) into the No. 2 spot after a close head-to-head victory at the Kollege Town Sports Invitational. How close? Well, the Maroons and Bears both finished with 105 points, but the former got the edge thanks to their No. 5 runner (34-40).
The rest of the top-5 was rounded out by UW-La Crosse and UW-Stevens Point.
New England Region
There was a notable change to the order of the top-5 teams in the New England Region between Week 5 and Week 6.
Williams and MIT are still No. 1 and No. 2, but Colby jumped six spots from No. 9 to No. 3 after a strong effort at the Connecticut College Invitational. The Mules finished fourth as a team and were only one of four teams to put multiple runners in the top-20.
The rest of the top-5 is rounded out by Bates and Middlebury.
South/Southeast Region
There was no change to the order of the top-5 teams in the South/Southeast Region between Week 5 and Week 6.
Berea (Ky.), Emory, Washington and Lee, Lynchburg and Oglethorpe are still No. 1 through No. 5, but then Mary Washington climbed from the Land of the Unranked to No. 6. The Eagles, who ran well at the Rowan Inter-Regional Border Battle, are ranked in the regional top-5 for just the sixth time in the past 10 years.
West Region
There was a changing of the guard atop the West Region between Week 5 and Week 6.
Pomona-Pitzer moved into the driver’s seat after a strong performance at the Kollege Town Sports Invitational this past weekend. The Sagehens finished a strong runner-up to North Central (Ill.) and had a spread of just 31 seconds between its No. 1 and No. 5 runners.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps dropped to No. 2, ahead of No. 3 UC Santa Cruz, No. 4 Colorado College and No. 5 Occidental.
Women’s Story
Atlantic Region
There was a slight change to the order of the top-5 teams in the Atlantic Region between Week 5 and Week 6.
SUNY Geneseo and RPI remained No. 1 and No. 2 for the seventh week in a row, but Vassar comes in at No. 3 as it continues its climb up the leaderboard. The Brewers, who were No. 8 in Week 1 and most recently No. 5 for a few weeks in a row, finished seventh at the Connecticut College Invitational this past weekend.
The rest of the top-5 is rounded out by Rochester (N.Y.) and RIT.
Central Region
There were some major changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the Central Region between Week 5 and Week 6.
Carleton took over the top spot in the chart after finishing fourth at the Connecticut College Invitational this past weekend. The Knights were just one of three teams to put multiple athletes in the top-10, as Amanda Mosborg and Clara Mayfield finished sixth and seventh.
St. Thomas (Minn.) also shifted up one spot and is now ranked No. 2. The Tommies recently finished as the top NCAA DIII team at the Jim Drews/Tori Neubauer Invitational as they put their entire scoring lineup in the top-20.
Former No. 1 Wartburg dropped to No. 3, followed by Gustavus Adolphus at No. 4 and St. Olaf at No. 5.
Great Lakes Region
There was a bit of a shakeup in the order of the top-5 teams in the Great Lakes Region between Week 5 and Week 6.
Oberlin is still No. 1 after cruising to victory at its own Inter-Regional Rumble, but is followed this week by John Carroll, not Baldwin Wallace or Hope. The Blue Streaks recently finished third at the Inter-Regional Rumble and were the only team at the meet with two runners in the top-6.
Speaking of Baldwin Wallace and Hope, they sit at No. 3 and No. 4, while Allegheny (Pa.) comes in at No. 5 after a one-spot jump from last week.
Mideast Region
There was a slight change to the order of the top-5 teams in the Mideast Region between Week 5 and Week 6.
Johns Hopkins and Dickinson are still No. 1 and No. 2, while Carnegie Mellon and Swarthmore swapped spots into No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.
The biggest jump comes in at No. 5, where Moravian joined the party after not being ranked last week. The Greyhounds put forth a strong effort at the Rowan Inter-Regional Border Battle where they finished eighth as a team.
Midwest Region
There were some notable changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the Midwest Region between Week 5 and Week 6.
You can’t start anywhere but at the top, which is where Washington (Mo.) is now after a dominant effort at the Kollege Town Sports Invitational. The Bears made quick work of a stacked field as they scored just 27 points as they put their scoring lineup in the top-11.
UChicago finished a distant runner-up to WashU at the Kollege Town Sports Invitational and comes in at No. 2, while UW-Eau Claire wasn’t too far behind the Maroons and now sits No. 3.
UW-La Crosse comes in at No. 4 after a strong effort at its Jim Drews/Tori Neubauer Invitational and North Central (Ill.) rounds out the top-5 at No. 5.
New England Region
What happened at the Connecticut College Invitational really shook up the top-5 of the New England Region between Week 5 and Week 6.
Meet champion MIT is now ranked first regionally for the eighth year in a row. The Engineers dazzled as they scored 75 points thanks to three runners finishing in the top-15.
Williams took runner-up honors behind MIT and Tufts finished third behind both of those programs and that’s where they’re ranked. The Ephs sit No. 2, while the Jumbos are No. 3.
Middlebury holds down the No. 4 spot and Bates jumped two spots from No. 7 to No. 5 following a spirited runner-up effort at the Oberlin Inter-Regional Rumble.
South/Southeast Region
There were some notable changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the South/Southeast Region between Week 5 and Week 6.
Washington and Lee jumped two spots from No. 3 to capture just its third No. 1 ranking in the past 10 years. The Generals, who were No. 1 in Week 2 and Week 3, regained favor in the eyes of the regional ranker after finishing fourth at the Oberlin Inter-Regional Rumble.
That jump forced former No. 1 Centre and former No. 2 Emory both to fall one spot, while Rhodes and Trinity (Texas) round out the top-5.
West Region
There was a slight change to the order of the top-5 teams in the West Region between Week 5 and Week 6.
The top-4 teams remained the same – No. 1 Pomona-Pitzer, No. 2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, No. 3 UC Santa Cruz and No. 4 Occidental – but Redlands leapfrogged Whitman into the No. 5 spot.
