2021 NCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 2
NEW ORLEANS – You know it was a big weekend when 25 of the top-35 teams shift spots.
Here is the newest edition of the NCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll for Week 2 of the 2021 season, as released on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
NCAA Division III — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Wartburg
Wartburg
2
Williams
Williams
3
Pomona-Pitzer
Pomona-Pitzer
4
SUNY Geneseo
SUNY Geneseo
5
John Carroll
John Carroll
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Wartburg and Williams remained No. 1 and No. 2 for the third consecutive week, counting the preseason. The biggest difference is that the Knights have taken first-place votes from the Ephs each week: Wartburg had six of the 10 in the preseason; Wartburg had seven of the 10 in Week 1; Wartburg now has nine of the 10 in Week 2. The Knights haven’t competed since the Les Duke Invitational two weeks ago, but made a statement with a near-perfect score.
Pomona-Pitzer leapfrogged SUNY Geneseo into the No. 3 spot (The Knights dropped to No. 4). The 2019 champion Sagehens placed a strong third at the UCR Cross Country Invitational this past weekend, as they had two runners in the top-10: Ethan Widlansky was eighth; Lucas Florsheim ended up ninth. Pomona-Pitzer also had a solid pack together from 34th to 39th place. SUNY Geneseo took runner-up honors at the Yellowjacket XC Invitational this past weekend, as they saw Tyler Senall captured the individual title in 25:27.6.
John Carroll soared seven spots from No. 12 to No. 5 after a sensational performance at the All-Ohio Collegiate Cross Country Championships. Alex Phillip became just the third NCAA DIII male athlete to win the individual title outright and the Blue Streaks finished third behind NCAA DI Miami (Ohio) and NCAA Division II Walsh. This is just the second time in program history that JCU has been ranked in the national top-5 (It was a program-high fourth in the preseason).
Three other teams that parlayed dazzling weekend efforts into big jumps in the National Coaches’ Poll were North Central (Ill.), UW-Whitewater and St. Olaf. The Cardinals, now ranked No. 7, romped to the team title at the Gil Dodds Invitational. The Warhawks, now ranked No. 8, topped former No. 5 Washington (Mo.) and No. 33 UW-Oshkosh to win the team title at the Tom Hoffman Invitational. The Oles, now ranked No. 12, upended former No. 7 UW-La Crosse and No. 19 UW-Eau Claire at the St. Olaf Invitational thanks to being the only program with three athletes in the top-10.
Finally, Emory went from Also Receiving Votes to No. 17. The Eagles captured the team title at the Converse Kick-Off, which served as a preview for the course that will host regional championships in NCAA DII and NCAA DIII. Emory was the only program with four athletes in the top-16 and took down NCAA DII No. 16 Wingate in the process. This is the Eagles’ best rank since 2009, when they soared as high as No. 11.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 20, because that’s when the 2021 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships will be held at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park in Louisville, Kentucky.
