2019 NCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 7
NEW ORLEANS – Conference Championships Weekend altered the look of the NCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll between Week 6 and Week 7.
SEE MORE: NCAA Division III Conference Championships Weekend Recap
A number of programs reached new heights in the most recent national index, released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
NCAA Division III — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
North Central (Ill.)
North Central (Ill.)
2
Williams
Williams
3
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
4
Carnegie Mellon
Carnegie Mellon
5
Pomona-Pitzer
Pomona-Pitzer
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
We’ll start at the top, where North Central (Ill.) and Williams sit once again after dominating their respective conference championships. The No. 1 Cardinals, who have now headlined the chart a modern-ern NCAA poll record 28 times, posted a perfect score at the CCIW Championships, while the No. 2 Ephs cruised to victory at the NESCAC Championships on their home course.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is quickly gaining ground on the top-2 teams as the squad jumped five spots from No. 8 to a program-record No. 3. The Stags won the SCIAC title in a tiebreaker over previously-ranked No. 3 Pomona-Pitzer this past weekend. Both teams finished with 31 points, but CMS earned the crown thanks to owning a 3-2 head-to-head edge.
Carnegie Mellon remained at No. 4 following its victory at the UAA Championships, while the aforementioned Sagehens dropped two spots from No. 3 to No. 5.
UW-La Crosse is back in the top-15 after climbing three spots from No. 16 to No. 13. The Eagles soared at the WIAC Championships this past weekend as they won their 16th title in program history thanks to putting five runners in the top-10.
Amherst is the Biggest Gainer of the Week after a 15-spot improvement from Week 6. The 17th-ranked Mammoths gained favor in the eyes of the voting coaches after a runner-up effort at the NESCAC Championships this past weekend.
Carleton isn’t too far behind Amherst with an 11-place bump. The now 19th-ranked Knights easily conquered the MIAC this past weekend as they put three athletes in the top-10.
Four other teams bettered their standing three or more spots since Week 6: Middlebury went from No. 25 to No. 21, St. Lawrence went from t-No. 26 to No. 23, St. Thomas (Minn.) went from No. 29 to No. 25 and UW-Stout went from No. 34 to No. 31.
SUNY Oneonta joined the national index for just the fourth time in the past three years. The 27th-ranked Red Dragons finished a valiant runner-up at the SUNYAC Championships thanks to five athletes placing in the top-15.
From a conference standpoint, the NESCAC and the UAA are tied with five nationally-ranked teams, while the Centennial, Liberty League, the MIAC and the WIAC all have three.
Be sure to check out the next NCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll when it comes out on Tuesday, November 19, following what promises to be an ultra-competitive Regional Championships Weekend.
