2019 NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 6

NEW ORLEANS – Conference Championships Weekend caused some shakeups in the NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings, as released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Monday. 

Although there is only one new No. 1, plenty of other teams are making their moves as the battle for the automatic NCAA bids tightens up.

SEE MORE: NCAA DI Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings

Remember: We’ll see which teams earn those automatic NCAA bids in two weekends when the nine regions host their championship meets.

GREAT LAKES REGION

There was shuffling within the Great Lakes Region between Week 5 and Week 6.

Michigan State is back in the No. 1 spot for the first time since Week 5 of the 2016 campaign. The Spartans claimed the Big Ten title 56-62 over Wisconsin, who moved down to No. 2 this week.

Michigan, placing third at the Big Ten Championships, moved down one spot to No. 3, while No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 5 Ohio State held their respective rankings.

MID-ATLANTIC REGION

The Mid-Atlantic saw some changes between Week 5 and Week 6.

Penn State remained in the driver’s seat at No. 1 for the second straight week following a fourth place finish at the Big Ten Championships. Villanova moved up three spots to No. 2 after placing second at the Big East Championships, while third place team at the Big East, Georgetown, moved down one spot to No. 3.

No. 4 West Virginia moved up two spots from No. 6. The Mountaineers placed third in a tight Big 12 Championships race. Penn dropped two spots to No. 5 after a third place finish at the Ivy League Championships.

MIDWEST REGION

There was no change in the Midwest from Week 5 to Week 6.

No. 1 Illinois and No. 2 Oklahoma State remain the favorites to receive automatic NCAA bids. The Fighting Illini placed sixth in a heavy nationally-ranked Big Ten Championships, while the Cowgirls took home their first Big 12 title since 2015.

Minnesota, Tulsa, and Missouri sit at No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5, respectively.

MOUNTAIN REGION

The Mountain Region continued to evolve from Week 5 to Week 6.

BYU remained at No. 1 for the sixth straight week. The Cougars won the West Coast Conference with 18 points, posting 1-2-3-5-7 finishes led by individual champion Whittni Orton.

No. 2 Utah jumped up four spots from No. 6 to regain to tie its highest regional ranking set two weeks ago. The Utes posted a third place finish at the Pac-12 Championships and finished three points ahead of No. 4 Colorado, who fell one spot.

New Mexico moved up to No. 4 following a team title at the Mountain West on the strength of a 1-2 finish by Weini Kelati and Ednah Kurgat. Northern Arizona, the Big Sky champions, come in at No. 5.

NORTHEAST REGION

There were a few adjustments in the Northeast from Week 5 to Week 6.

Columbia, the Ivy League Champion, remained at No. 1. Syracuse earned a one spot jump to No. 2 following a fifth place finish at the ACC Championships.

No. 3 Boston College fell one spot after placing seventh in the ACC. Providence remained steady at No. 4, and Harvard moved up to No. 5 due to their second-place finish in the Ivy League.

SOUTH REGION

The South saw three teams climb up the ranks from Week 5 to Week 6.

Florida State remained the No. 1 team in the region for the third consecutive week. The Seminoles placed second at the ACC Championships. Ole Miss moved up to No. 2 with their second place showing in the SEC Championships.

Middle Tennessee earned a two spot bump to No. 3 to achieve their highest regional ranking in program history after the Blue Raiders claimed the Conference USA title. Tennessee remained at No. 4 this week, while Alabama rounds out the top-5. The Crimson Tide jumped four spots from No. 9 with a fifth place finish in the SEC and finishing one point behind Tennessee.

SOUTH CENTRAL

There was one change in the South Central from Week 5 to Week 6.

No. 1 Arkansas and No. 2 Texas are favored to receive automatic bids to NCAAs. The Razorbacks won the SEC title with 21 points and going 1-2-4-5-9. The Longhorns placed second in the Big 12 by two points to Oklahoma State.

Texas A&M and Rice remained at No. 3 and No. 4 respectively. Arkansas State vaulted eight spots from No. 13 back into the No. 5 spot after winning the Sun Belt Conference.

SOUTHEAST REGION

The Southeast saw two changes between Week 5 and Week 6.

No. 1 NC State and No. 2 Furman remain to be the favorites to receive automatic bids to the NCAA Championships. The Wolfpack won the ACC and the Paladins won the Southern Conference Championships.

Virginia Tech, placing fourth in the ACC, stayed at No. 3, while No. 4 Wake Forest and No. 5 North Carolina reached moved up one spot with their sixth and eighth place finishes, respectively. The Tar Heels are back in the top-5 for the first time since the 2015 season.

WEST REGION

There were no changes in the West between Week 5 and Week 6.

No. 1 Stanford and No. 2 Washington remain as the favorites to receive automatic bids into NCAAs. The Cardinal beat the Huskies 27-55 at the Pac-12 Championships.

No. 3 Boise State and No. 4 Oregon, and No. 5 California Baptist round out the top regional teams.