2019 NCAA DIII Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 5
NEW ORLEANS – Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes are coming to the NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll.
That’s because the largest weekend of the regular season is upon us.
NCAA Division III — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins
2
Chicago
Chicago
3
Washington (Mo.)
Washington (Mo.)
4
Tufts
Tufts
5
Williams
Williams
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Before we get to the 18 nationally-ranked teams that will be competing between three major meets, let’s take a look at what transpired between Week 4 and Week 5.
Seven teams improved their positioning in the most recent installment, released on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA): SUNY Geneseo went from No. 9 to No. 8, Oberlin went from No. 11 to No. 10, Wartburg went from No. 12 to No. 11, Carleton went from No. 13 to No. 12, Rochester (N.Y.) jumped five spots from No. 25 to No. 20, Wesleyan (Conn.) went from No. 29 to No. 28 and Vassar went from No. 35 to No. 34.
Rochester (N.Y.) stands out the most with its five-rank improvement. The Yellowjackets won the team title at the 28th Annual Ronald C. Hoffmann Invitational this past weekend, scoring 59 points to RIT’s 92. Four runners from Rochester (N.Y.) ended up in the top-15 individually, led by Jordan Hurlbut in fifth place.
Speaking of the Yellowjackets, they’ll be one of nine nationally-ranked programs swarming to compete at the Connecticut College Invitational. This will give Rochester (N.Y.) a great chance to continue to prove itself as it will be joined by No. 4 Tufts, No. 5 Williams, No. 7 MIT, No. 12 Carleton, No. 14 RPI, No. 18 Middlebury, No. 28 Wesleyan (Conn.) and No. 31 Coast Guard.
We’ll see a colossal battle between top-3 teams at the KollegeTown Sports Invitational hosted by UW-Oshkosh. Upstart No. 2 UChicago will go up against No. 3 Washington (Mo.). You don’t have to go too far back to know the history between these two teams: It was the Maroons who defeated the Bears at the Wheaton Gil Dodds Invitational and knocked them from their spot on top of the National Coaches’ Poll.
The other big meet this weekend is the Inter-Regional Rumble, hosted by Oberlin. The 10th-ranked Yeowomen will be involved as the host and are welcoming three other nationally-ranked programs to the proceedings – No. 19 Baldwin Wallace, No. 21 John Carroll and No. 23 Case Western Reserve.
Make sure to check back next week as there will be some notable additions and subtractions to the National Coaches’ Poll between Week 5 and Week 6.
