2019 NCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 6
NEW ORLEANS – Big racing meant big changes to 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).
The biggest difference between Week 5 and Week 6 is that three new teams joined the top-5.
NCAA Division III — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
North Central (Ill.)
North Central (Ill.)
2
Williams
Williams
3
Pomona-Pitzer
Pomona-Pitzer
4
Carnegie Mellon
Carnegie Mellon
5
Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
North Central (Ill.) regained near-unanimous control of the No. 1 spot in the National Coaches’ Poll after its dominant effort at the Kollege Town Sports Invitational. The Cardinals, who have now been ranked an all-time NCAA National Coaches’ Poll best 28 consecutive weeks, put their entire scoring lineup in the top-15, including three in the top-10.
Williams still brought in two first-place votes following its strong performance at the Connecticut College Invitational. The Ephs, led by individual champion Aidan Ryan, put four runners in the top-15 and beat numerous nationally-ranked programs by at least 49 points.
Pomona-Pitzer jumped six spots from No. 9 to a program record-tying No. 3 based on its showing at the Kollege Town Sports Invitational. The Sagehens finished runner-up to North Central (Ill.) and actually held the lead in the meet through the 3K split.
Carnegie Mellon and Johns Hopkins proved that good competition brings out the best. The Tartans and the Blue Jays, who both climbed three spots into the top-5 at a program-record No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, duked it out at the Rowan Inter-Regional Border Battle. Carnegie Mellon came out on top by a score of 51-54 as it went 5-7-10-12-17 compared to 2-4-14-16-18.
UChicago improved its spot three places between Week 5 and Week 6, from No. 10 to a program-record No. 7. The Maroons finished fourth at the Kollege Town Sports Invitational, just four points out of third place.
A little bit further down is where you’ll find Berea (Ky.) at a program-record No. 13. The Mountaineers won the Oberlin-hosted Inter-Regional Rumble this past weekend, putting their entire scoring lineup in the top-25. Logan McKenzie finished runner-up individually.
Case Western Reserve and St. Lawrence both jumped nine spots between Week 5 and Week 6. The Spartans come in at No. 20 after finishing third at the Inter-Regional Rumble this past weekend, while the Saints are ranked No. 26 after finishing sixth at the Connecticut College Invitational ahead of several teams that were ahead of them in Week 5.
There were two new additions to the top-35: No. 18 Colby and No. 29 St. Thomas (Minn.). This is the first time that the Mules have been nationally ranked since 2016.
Be sure to check back when the next NCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll is released on Wednesday, November 6, following Conference Championship Weekend.
