2021 NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 3
NEW ORLEANS – There may have only been a few key meets this weekend, but those meets still impacted the NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll.
The Week 3 edition, released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday, has a total of 22 teams moving among the ranks and two programs making their first appearances of the season.
NCAA Division I — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
BYU
BYU
1
NC State
NC State
3
New Mexico
New Mexico
4
Stanford
Stanford
5
Colorado
Colorado
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
The top-3 remained intact as co-No. 1s BYU and NC State and No. 3 New Mexico stayed put. The Cougars received seven first-place votes with the Wolfpack receiving the other four votes. NC State and New Mexico are expected to headline the competition at the Joe Piane Invitational this weekend.
No. 4 Stanford and No. 5 Colorado may not have competed this past weekend, but each improved by three spots following the results from other teams in action, which saw Nos. 4-6 fall back in the National Coaches’ Poll. The Buffalos are making their first top-5 appearance this season after holding steady at No. 8 for the first three weeks, and are backed up by their win at the Cowboy Jamboree a week ago.
Minnesota, Michigan and Washington each improved their billings this week. The Gophers, who jumped three spots to No. 7 and matched their best ranking in the past 13 years, captured the team title at the Roy Griak Invitational. The Wolverines and Huskies share the No. 8 spot, and while neither have competed in the last few weeks, both will be racing this weekend: Michigan will be at Live in Lou; Washington will toe the line at the Joe Piane Invitational.
No. 11 Utah and No. 20 Portland make their first appearance in the National Coaches’ Poll this season after receiving votes for the last three iterations. Both teams competed at the Bill Dellinger Invitational: the Utes stormed to a team title by 55 points ahead of former No. 25 (now No. 22) Colorado State; the Pilots placed fourth in the team standings, just three points behind former No. 4 (now No. 10) Arkansas.
Another team making strides in the National Coaches’ Poll is No. 25 Iowa State after a five-spot improvement from No. 30, a spot they held for three consecutive weeks. The Cyclones captured runner-up honors to the aforementioned Golden Gophers at the Roy Griak Invitational this past Friday.
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.
