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

NEW ORLEANS – The cross country season is off to a roaring start!

Here is the Week 1 edition of the NCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country Region Rankings, which were released on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Regional Championships Saturday is set for Saturday, November 13.

East Region

There were a few minor changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the East Region.

MIT remained at No. 1, but Bates leapfrogged Colby into the No. 2 spot (The Mules are now ranked No. 3). Tufts and WPI held steady at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. The Bobcats used a 20-second gap between their first and fifth runner to recently beat Colby head-to-head.

Great Lakes Region

There were some notable changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the Great Lakes Region.

Calvin jumped two spots to No. 1, which pushed John Carroll and Otterbein down to No. 2 and No.3, respectively. DePauw held steady at No. 4, while Ohio Northern climbed two spots from No. 7 to No. 5. The Knights starred at the Calvin Invitational, finishing just two points behind 2020 NCAA Division II champion Grand Valley State. The Polar Bears finished a strong runner-up at their own invitational this past weekend, beating NCAA Division II Tiffin in the process.

Metro Region

There were a few notable changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the Metro Region.

Haverford and Rowan remained No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, but DeSales jumped five spots from No. 8 to No. 3, which pushed both Moravian and TCNJ down one spot. The Bulldogs beat the now fourth-ranked Greyhounds head-to-head at the Lehigh Invitational this past weekend.

Mid-Atlantic Region

There were a few changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Johns Hopkins and Carnegie Mellon remained No. 1 and No. 2, followed by No. 3 Dickinson. Both Gettysburg and Franklin & Marshall jumped into the rankings at No. 4 and No. 5 after not being ranked in the preseason. The Bullets fared well at the Galen Piper Cross Country Invitational two weeks ago, while the Diplomats beat sixth-ranked Elizabethtown head-to-head earlier in the season.

Mideast Region

There were a few notable changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the Mideast Region.

Williams remained No. 1, but is now followed by No. 2 Connecticut College and No. 3 Vassar. RPI held steady at No. 4, while former No. 3 Middlebury fell two spots to No. 5. The Camels had to wait to open their season this past weekend (campus COVID-19 restrictions), while the Brewers took down the Engineers head-to-head at the Ron Stonitsch Invitational.

Midwest Region

There were no changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the Midwest Region.

Wartburg and Washington (Mo.) remained at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, followed by No. 3 UChicago, No. 5 Loras and No. 5 North Central (Ill.). Just because they all held steady doesn’t mean they did race, as the Knights, Bears and Cardinals all notched impressive, low-point wins, with the Duhawks capturing the team title at the All-American Invitational hosted by Luther.

Niagara Region

There was a minor change to the order of the top-5 teams in the Niagara Region.

SUNY Geneseo and Ithaca remained No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, followed by No. 3 Rochester (N.Y.), but Hamilton jumped into the rankings at No. 4, right ahead of No. 5 SUNY Brockport. The Knights, the Bombers and the Continentals all raced this past weekend and looked strong doing so, as the former nearly took down NCAA Division I Dartmouth and the latter two went head-to-head at the Hamilton Short Course Invitational (Hamilton triumphed).

North Region

There were no changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the North Region.

UW-La Crosse and UW-Whitewater remained No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, followed by No. 3 UW-Eau Claire, No. 4 St. Olaf and No. 5 UW-Oshkosh. We’ll see some intraregional competition this weekend as the Lions will host the Eagles and Blugold at the St. Olaf Invitational, while the Warhawks host the Tom Hoffman Invitational, which the Titans will visit, among others.

South Region

There was one minor change to the order of the top-5 teams in the South Region.

Lynchburg and Washington and Lee remained No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, followed by No. 3 Emory and No. 4 Christopher Newport. Mary Washington entered the rankings at No. 5 after not being ranked in the preseason. Both the Captains and the Eagles competed at the Spider Alumni Open this past weekend, finishing third and sixth in the team standings, respectively.

West Region

There was one minor change to the order of the top-5 teams in the West Region.

Pomona-Pitzer and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps remained No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, followed by No. 3 UC Santa Cruz and new No. 4 Lewis & Clark, which jumped four spots between the preseason and now. That pushed former No. 4 George Fox down to No. 5. The Pioneers beat the Bruins head-to-head at the Lewis & Clark Opener Chase Race.