2021 NCAA DII Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 1

NEW ORLEANS – The season may be young, but it’s off to a great start!

Here is the newest edition of the NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings, as released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday afternoon.

Atlantic Region

There were some notable changes among the top-5 teams in the Atlantic Region.

Charleston (W.VA.) remained steady at No. 1, but is now followed by No. 2 Edinboro and No. 3 West Liberty (previously ranked No. 6). Concord fell one spot to No. 4 while No. 5 Shippensburg stayed put. The Fighting Scots won the Doug Watts Open and the Hilltoppers were victorious at the Bethany Invitational.

Central Region

There was one change among the top-5 teams in the Central Region.

Missouri Southern, Augustana (S.D.), Northwest Missouri and Neb.-Kearney all remained at No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. No. 5 U-Mary moved up one spot from No. 6 following a strong victory at the MSUM Dragon Twilight Invitational and sweeping the top-7 spots.

East Region

There were no changes among the top-5 teams in the East Region.

No. 1 American International is followed by No. 2 Southern Connecticut, No. 3 Roberts Wesleyan, No. 4 Stonehill and No. 5 Franklin Pierce. All five teams were in action the last two weekends and had favorable outcomes, including the Skyhawks topping the Yellow Jackets at the Shacklette Invite. It is to note that AIC did run a full strength squad.

Midwest Region

There was one change among the top-5 teams in the Midwest Region.

No. 1 Grand Valley State, No. 2 Lewis, No. 3 Southern Indiana and No. 4 Walsh held steady from the Preseason rankings. Michigan Tech jumped three spots from No. 8 to No. 5 this week. The Huskies posted a strong victory at the Warrior Challenge, beating runner-up Wayne State (previously No. 6) and third-place Saginaw Valley State (previously No. 5).

South Region

There were some major changes among the top-5 teams in the South Region.

Lee (Tenn.) is now the No. 1 team in the region and bumped Alabama-Huntsville to No. 2. The Flames took down the Chargers at the City Auto Memphis Twilight Classic, 44-68, and placed four in the top-9, including individual winner Christian Noble. No. 3 Mississippi College remained steady and now followed by No. 4 Florida Southern and No. 5 Tampa. Both teams gained ground after strong opening competitions.

South Central Region

There were no changes among the top-5 teams in the South Central Region.

Colorado School of Mines and Adams State remained at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, followed by No. 3 Western State, No. 4 Colorado Christian and No. 5 West Texas A&M. The Grizzlies, Cougars and Buffs each earned wins to start their seasons, most notably West Texas A&M taking down several NCAA DI programs at the Texas Tech Opener.

Southeast Region

There was a minor change among the top-5 teams in the Southeast Region.

Queens (N.C.) and Augusta stayed at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, followed by No. 3 Wingate and No. 4 Flagler. Catawba gained a spot to come in at No. 5 thanks to a strong showing at the Fleet Feet XC Invitational. The Indians beat former No. 5 Anderson (S.C.) in head-to-head competition, who is now ranked No. 6.

West Region

There were a few notable changes among the top-5 teams in the West Region.

Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus remained No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, and is now followed by Simon Fraser, who was previously not ranked. SFU finished second to Chico State at the San Francisco State Invitational. Biola (Calif.) gained two spots to No. 4 while Cal State San Marcos stayed at No. 5. The Eagles edged out the Cougars, 45-46, at the Biola Invitational.