2021 NCAA DI Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 3
NEW ORLEANS – Change is inevitable.
Here is the newest edition of the NCAA Division I Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll for Week 3 of the 2021 season, which was released on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Several strong efforts from the past weekend shook up the index, as 10 different programs moved multiple spots up or down.
NCAA Division I — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Northern Arizona
Northern Arizona
2
Notre Dame
Notre Dame
3
Stanford
Stanford
4
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State
5
BYU
BYU
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Nothing changed amongst the top-3 programs as No. 1 Northern Arizona, No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 Stanford all held steady. The Lumberjacks continue to own 10 of the 11 possible first-place votes with the Irish not ready to relinquish the other just yet.
Former No. 3 (now No. 4) BYU and former No. 10 (now No. 6) Iowa State went head-to-head at the Roy Griak Invitational. It was a thrilling race for the team title as just one point separated the two teams. That one point was decided by one second: Conner Mantz gave the Cougars the slim victory over the Cyclones when he outkicked Wesley Kiptoo down the homestretch. Due to the closer-than-expect result, BYU dropped two spots and Iowa State jumped four spots, which pushed Oklahoma State up to No. 4 with its performance at the Cowboy Jamboree resonating.
Colorado hitched a ride with the Cyclones, coming in at No. 7 this week. Arkansas dropped two spots to No. 8 to no fault of its own after dominating the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown, as did Bill Dellinger Invitational champion Oregon down to No. 9.
Further down in the National Coaches’ Poll, Gonzaga jumped five spots from No. 25 to No. 20. This is only the third time in program history that the Bulldogs have been ranked in the top-20. Gonzaga climbed the ballot thanks to a close runner-up finish to the Ducks at the Bill Dellinger Invitational, 55-62. The Bulldogs put three runners in the top-5, but saw their next two athletes finish 18th and 32nd for a 43-second gap between its first and fifth runners.
Also making noise in the top-30 is Syracuse. The 27th-ranked Orange return to the top-30 for the first time since Week 7 of the spring season. Syracuse took runner-up honors behind the aforementioned Razorbacks at the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown this past weekend.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 20, which is when the 2021 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships will be held at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida.
