2019 NCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 3
NEW ORLEANS – Welcome to October!
This is the month where the teams who are built for postseason success begin to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.
Speaking of top teams, those in the top-5 of the most recent NCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll that was released on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) remained in place from 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
That means North Central (Ill.) headlines the National Coaches’ Poll for the 25th week in a row, breaking a modern era program record. Sitting in order behind the top-ranked Cardinals is No. 2 Williams, No. 3 Washington (Mo.), No. 4 Wartburg and No. 5 UW-La Crosse.
The second-ranked Ephs had a chance to impress this past weekend as the only top-5 team in action and did exactly that. Williams dismantled five other nationally-ranked teams at its own Purple Valley Classic as it totaled just 31 points. National Athlete of the Week Aidan Ryan led a charge in first place, while five other Ephs finished in the top-15.
Two teams from the West Region – specifically the SCIAC – moved deeper inside the top-10: No. 6 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and No. 8 Pomona-Pitzer.
We’ll start with the Stags, who captured the team title at the Masters University Invitational over host NAIA #13 The Masters and the ‘B’ team from NCAA Division I UCLA. Stevie Steinberg and Thomas D’Anieri paved the way for CMS in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
The Sagehens were one of the only NCAA DIII teams at the Capital Cross Challenge and held it down. Pomona-Pitzer finished fifth in the team standings, ahead of NCAA DII #12 Alaska Anchorage, NCAA DII #15 Cal State San Marcos and NCAA DII #18 Biola (Calif.), not to mention NCAA DI California. The Sagehens ended up with a 29-second spread between their No. 1 and No. 5 runners.
Further down, the results of the All-Ohio Championships shook things up a bit.
Otterbein finished as the top NCAA DIII team in the field and jumped three spots from No. 17 to No. 14, which gives the squad its best ranking in program history. Chase Hampton had a breakthrough performance for the Cardinals as he finished runner-up individually behind Andre Bollam-Godbott from NCAA DI Akron.
Case Western Reserve brandished its power and took fifth place at the All-Ohio Championships, finishing three points behind NCAA DII #19 Walsh. The Spartans, who jumped 12 spots from No. 30 to a program-record No. 18, were led by Trey Razanauskas (15th place).
Be sure to check back in throughout the season as the National Coaches’ Poll will continue to shift ahead of the 2019 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, which will be held on November 23 at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park in Louisville, Kentucky.
