2021 NCAA DII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 2
NEW ORLEANS – Another great weekend of racing led to some big changes.
The Week 2 edition of the 2021 NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Wednesday is headlined by not one, but two No. 1s, and a total of 26 changes across the board.
NCAA Division II — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Grand Valley State
Grand Valley State
1
Colo. School of Mines
Colo. School of Mines
3
Adams State
Adams State
4
Chico State
Chico State
5
Colorado Christian
Colorado Christian
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Colorado School of Mines and Grand Valley State share the No. 1 spot this week as both teams received four first-place votes each.
The Orediggers won the Roadrunners Invitational with 28 points this past weekend and placed seven runners in the top-14, including five in the top-9. Chris Cathcart won the 8k race to lead all runners in the field.
The Lakers showed why they are in the conversation to win the national title in November after taking down NCAA Division I Michigan State (formerly ranked No. 18 nationally a week ago) at the Spartan Invitational. Grand Valley State won the meet, 35-51, and had seven runners in the top-16, including four in the top-9. Tanner Chada and Isaac Harding led the Lakers with their second- and third-place finishes, respectively.
Colorado Christian is at a program-best placement after jumping five spots to No. 5. CCU earned the nod to join the top-5 thanks to a second-place finish to the Orediggers at the Roadrunners Invitational by 15 points, 28-43. Ryder Searle, Trent Cochran and Josh Pierantoni, finished second, third and fourth, respectively, to give the Cougars several low sticks.
The rest of the top-10 changed since Week 1: No. 6 Augustana (S.D.) (up three from No. 9), No. 7 Queens (N.C.) (up one from No. 8), No. 8 Lee (Tenn.) (down three from No. 5), No. 9 Alabama-Huntsville (up two from No. 11) and No. 10 Cal State Stanislaus (up four from No. 14). The Chargers finished 18 points ahead of the Flames at the Florida State Open as both teams finished eighth and ninth, respectively. The Warriors are enjoying a program-best billing in their first appearance in the top-10 this season.
Not only is Pittsburg State back in the National Coaches’ Poll for the second time this season, but it matched the program’s best billing since 2000 in the process. The Gorillas, who were previously receiving votes a week ago, vaulted to No. 11 after capturing the team title at the Missouri Southern Stampede with 53 points and beating out several top-30 programs.
Two teams made massive gains in Week 2, as No. 13 UC-Colorado Springs and No. 19 Fresno Pacific each soared 10 spots from their previous rankings. The Mountain Lions took home top honors at the Lucian Rosa Invitational and placed seven runners in the top-9, led by individual winner Aferwerki Zeru. The Sunbirds, who earned their highest placement in program history, placed second to NCAA DI CBU at the UC-Riverside Invitational and placed three runners in the top-7, including individual champion Patrick Kiprop.
Florida Southern is back in the National Coaches’ Poll for the first time since 2013 and sits at No. 28. The Mocs moved from the Land of the Not Ranked after a strong outing at the Florida State Open, finishing 11th in the team standings and third among DII teams behind Alabama-Huntsville and Lee (Tenn.). Mason Jones, who finished 18th individually, was the top DII individual finisher at the mee.
Mark your calendars – the 2021 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships are set for Saturday, November 20 at Abbey Golf Course in Tampa, Florida.
