2021 NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 1
NEW ORLEANS – It only took a few weeks of competition to start shaking up the NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, which was released on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
The newest installment features 17 programs that moved among the top-30, including two teams tied at No. 1 in Week 1. This is the first time in our polls that two NCAA DI women’s teams shared the No. 1 spot.
NCAA Division I — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
BYU
BYU
1
NC State
NC State
3
Stanford
Stanford
4
New Mexico
New Mexico
5
Michigan State
Michigan State
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Joining BYU at the top of the National Coaches’ Poll this week is NC State after improving one spot. The Wolfpack, ranked No. 1 for the first time in program history, is slated to open up the season at the adidas XC Challenge this weekend in Cary, North Carolina.
The Cougars, who are also ranked No. 1 for the second week in a row, kicked off the season with a win at the BYU Autumn Classic. Individual winner Aubrey Frentheway completed the 5k course in 17:39.1 and led a Cougar sweep of the top-9 spots.
No. 3 Stanford, No. 4 New Mexico and No. 5 Michigan State each held their respective ranking from the Preseason edition.
Climbing into the top-10 for the first time this season is No. 9 Michigan. The Wolverines improved two spots to bump Minnesota and Washington back to No. 10 and No. 11, respectively. The Wolverines had an impressive showing at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational, finishing third in the team standings and placing three runners in the top-8.
Speaking of the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational, now-No. 15 Georgetown jumped five spots in the National Coaches’ Poll after topping previously mentioned Golden Gophers, 48-51. The Hoyas were paced by individual runner-up Maggie Donahue, who completed the 6k course in 20:46.2, while Kiera Bothwell earned a top-10 finish in ninth place.
Other teams that climbed up the leaderboard are No. 14 Ole Miss (one spot from No. 15), No. 21 Connecticut (up two from No. 23), No. 25 Providence (up one from No. 26), No. 26 Colorado State (up one from No. 27) and No. 28 Wisconsin (up one from No. 29). All five teams won their respective competitions to open up the season.
Oregon, which was previously receiving votes, moved up to No. 27 as the newest addition to the National Coaches’ Poll. The Ducks topped Portland at the Lewis & Clark Opener to start the season.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 20, as the 2021 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships will take place at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida.
