2019 NCAA DIII Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 7
NEW ORLEANS – Conference Championships Weekend left a notable impression NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll in Week 7.
SEE MORE: NCAA Division III Conference Championships Weekend Recap
A total of 11 teams improved their positions from Week 6 and five new teams joined the most recent national index that was released on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
NCAA Division III — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins
2
Washington (Mo.)
Washington (Mo.)
3
MIT
MIT
4
Williams
Williams
5
Dickinson
Dickinson
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Surprisingly enough, nothing changed to the order of the top-5 teams – although Johns Hopkins is no longer the unanimous No. 1 program in the nation. That’s because No. 2 Washington (Mo.) nabbed a first-place vote after its performance at the UAA Championships this past weekend.
The Blue Jays and the Bears are two of four conference champions that comprise the top-4 teams. NEWMAC champion MIT and NESCAC champion Williams are the others, coming in at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.
Carleton, one of three MIAC programs in the National Coaches’ Poll, jumped three spots from No. 9 to No. 6 after winning the conference title. The Knights put six of their seven runners in the top-10, while no other team in the field managed more than two. Carleton scored 25 points, 43 fewer than runner-up and now-No. 16 St. Thomas (Minn.).
Wartburg won the team title at the American Rivers Conference Championships and improved its placement four spots from Week 6. The Knights had a strong showing in Dubuque, Iowa, as they had six of their seven runners in the top-12, led by individual champion Carina Collet.
UW-La Crosse takes the honors of being the Biggest Mover of the Week, jumping eight spots from No. 23 to No. 15. The Eagles finished a game runner-up to now-No. 10 UW-Eau Claire at the WIAC Championships, finishing just six points behind the Blugolds. UW-La Crosse put all seven of its runners in the top-15 – including three in the top-5 – but couldn’t overcome UW-Eau Claire’s depth.
Rochester (N.Y.), Carnegie Mellon and Emory – the third, fourth and fifth teams from the UAA in the National Coaches’ Poll this week – all bettered their ranks from the previous week. The Yellowjackets went from No. 24 to No. 20, while the Tartans took one step from No. 26 to No. 25 and the Eagles soared six spots from No. 34 to No. 28.
Here is a glance at those five teams that joined the national index in Week 6: St. Olaf at No. 24, Ithaca at No. 26, Wheaton (Ill.) at No. 29, Kenyon at No. 30 and Bowdoin at No. 32. This is the first time that the Ladies have been ranked since 2017, while the Polar Bears haven’t earned a spot in the top-35 since 2011.
