2021 NCAA DI Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Preseason
NEW ORLEANS – Cross country is back!
Here is the preseason edition of the 2021 NCAA Division I Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings, which was released on Monday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Regional Championships Friday is scheduled for Friday, November 12.
Great Lakes Region
Notre Dame and Butler sit No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, to begin the season.
The Irish, who finished runner-up at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, return each of their top-6 runners from that squad, who all happened to be All-Americans – Danny Kilrea (10th), Dylan Jacobs (20th), Andrew Alexander (21st), Jake Renfree (22nd), Yared Nuguse (23rd) and Joshua Methner (36th). Notre Dame also added Penn transfer Anthony Russo, who has a sub-29:00 PR over 10,000 meters.
The Bulldogs, who finished 13th at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, welcome back their entire top-7 from last season. Simon Bedard is the top returner, finishing 37th individually. Barry Keane and Remi Schyns had tremendous outdoor seasons on the track, as they both reached the final site of the 2021 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 10,000 meters and steeplechase, respectively.
No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 4 Michigan State and No. 5 Indiana round out the top-5.
Mid-Atlantic Region
Villanova and Georgetown sit No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, to begin the season.
The Wildcats, who finished 20th at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, return their entire top-7 from last season. Haftu Strintzos and Josh Phillips pulled each other along on a tough course in Stillwater, Oklahoma, finishing 66th and 67th, respectively. Strintzos also had a strong outdoor season, making the final site of the 2021 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 10,000 meters.
The Hoyas, who finished 22nd at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, welcome back all seven runners from that squad and gained much-needed experience. Two of their top runners turned in exceptional seasons on the track outdoors, as Jack Salisbury and Parker Stokes both earned First-Team All-America honors in their respective events (Salisbury in the 1500; Stokes in the steeplechase).
No. 3 Princeton, No. 4 Penn and No. 5 Penn State round out the top-5.
Midwest Region
Oklahoma State and Tulsa sit No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, to begin the season.
The Cowboys, who finished third on their home course at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, return their entire top-7 from that squad – including their four All-Americans (Isai Rodriguez, Alex Maier, Ryan Smeeton and Victor Shitsama). Rodriguez, Smeeton and Shitsama all starred on the track this past outdoor season with top-10 finishes from both Smeeton (third in the steeplechase) and Rodriguez (10th in the 10,000 meters). OSU also added a strong freshman class to an already talented, veteran team.
The Golden Hurricane, who finished sixth at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, return five of their top-7 athletes from that squad – including two All-Americans in Peter Lynch (12th) and Isaac Akers (19th). Tulsa athletes, namely Scott Beattie and Lynch, made some exceptional gains during the outdoor season, lowering their PRs over 10,000 meters to 28:41.38 and 28:53.12, respectively.
No. 3 Iowa State, No. 4 Minnesota and No. 5 Missouri round out the top-5.
Mountain Region
Northern Arizona and BYU sit No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, to begin the season.
The Lumberjacks, who won the national title at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, return five athletes from that team, including two top-10 finishers in Nico Young (fourth) and Abdihamid Nur (seventh). Nur had a sensational outdoor season, finishing third in the final of the 10,000 meters at the 2021 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in a new PR of 27:42.73. NAU also added Nebraska transfer George Kusche, who won the individual title at the 2020 Big Ten Cross Country Championships.
The Cougars, who finished seventh at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, return all seven of their athletes from that squad, including individual champion Conner Mantz and 13th-place finisher Casey Clinger. Mantz continued to shine outdoors, earning runner-up honors in the final of the 10,000 meters at the 2021 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 27:42.46 (That just missed his PR of 27:41.16 that he ran in mid-May).
No. 3 Colorado, No. 4 Utah State and No. 5 Southern Utah round out the top-5.
Northeast Region
Iona and Syracuse sit No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, to begin the season.
The Gaels, who finished 10th at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, return all seven of their runners from that squad, including All-Americans Jack O’Leary (25th) and Ehab El-Sandali (29th). Both El-Sandali and O’Leary lowered their PRs over 10,000 meters to sub-29:00 with O’Leary running his PR of 28:29.39 in a 16th-place finish at the 2021 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
The Orange, which finished 30th at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, welcome back all seven of their runners from that squad. While it was a tough day for Syracuse, those athletes learned a lot and used that as motivation during a strong outdoor season. Aidan Tooker earned Second-Team All-America honors in the steeplechase and J.P. Trojan qualified for the final site in the 10,000 meters and PR’d earlier in the season at 28:55.00.
No. 3 Harvard, No. 4 UMass Lowell and No. 5 Providence round out the top-5.
South Region
Ole Miss and Florida State sit No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, to begin the season.
The Rebels, who finished 12th at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, return five of their seven runners from that squad. Cole Bullock (18th) and Mario Garcia Romo (30th) both earned All-America honors and were part of a 1-2-3 sweep of the podium at the SEC Cross Country Championships. Ole Miss added a pair of dynamic transfer as well, bringing in Washington transfer Cruz Culpepper and Academy of Art transfer James Young, who is a two-time NCAA DII champion on the track and owns a 1500-meter PR of 3:37.72.
The Seminoles didn’t qualify a team to the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships – but hope to do so this year, as they’re hosting the meet on November 20. Florida State saw an outstanding performance from Adriaan Wildschutt, one of two individual athletes to qualify for the meet: Wildschutt earned individual runner-up honors.
No. 3 Middle Tennessee, No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Tennessee round out the top-5.
South Central Region
Arkansas and Texas sit No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, to begin the season.
The Razorbacks, who finished fourth at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, return all seven runners from that squad, including a trio of All-Americans in Amon Kemboi (11th), Luke Meade (38th) and Gilbert Boit (40th). Both Boit and Kemboi reached the final site of the 2021 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships as well and are two of several Arkansas athletes with sub-13:45 PRs over 5000 meters.
The Longhorns didn’t qualify a team or an individual to the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships – but did finish a clear third at the Big 12 Championships last fall. Haftu Knight, Graydon Morris and Sam Worley are expected to lead Texas this season.
No. 3 Arkansas State, No. 4 Rice and No. 5 LSU round out the top-5.
Southeast Region
Wake Forest and Furman sit No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, to begin the season.
The Demon Deacons, who finished 15th at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, return all seven runners from that surprising squad, including All-American Zach Facioni (27th). Earlier in the season, Wake Forest took third at the ACC Cross Country Championships and then in the spring, saw several athletes dip below 13:45 over 5000 meters, including Facioni (13:30.84) and Aaron Las Heras (13:42.21).
The Paladins, who finished 24th at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, welcome back all seven runners from last year’s team. Look for top returner Daniel Bernal to lead the way and a talented batch of newcomers bolster the ranks and compete for top spots.
No. 3 Duke, No. 4 Charlotte and No. 5 NC State round out the top-5.
West Region
Oregon and Stanford sit No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, to begin the season.
The Ducks didn’t qualify a team to the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships and instead focused on track & field, where they won the indoor title and finished second outdoors. A potentially loaded roster should make Oregon a title contender in both the West Region as well as at the national level this season. Not only could the Ducks return Cole Hocker, Charlie Hunter, Jackson Mestler and Cooper Teare, but they also added Cincinnati transfer Aaron Bienenfeld, who finished 16th at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships and dropped his PR over 10,000 meters to 28:10.95.
The Cardinal, which finished fifth at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, return six of the seven athletes who comprised that squad, including two All-Americans in Charles Hicks (14th) and Cole Sprout (15th). Hicks and Sprout, as well as Ky Robinson (46th), were part of a talented freshman class for Stanford in 2020-21. The Cardinal added several more dynamic freshmen in 2021-22 and feature a number of hungry upperclassmen.
No. 3 Washington, No. 4 Portland and No. 5 Gonzaga round out the top-5.
