2021 NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 4
NEW ORLEANS – A big weekend of racing means big shifts in the NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll.
A total of 20 teams moved up or down the leaderboard and several teams moved into the top-30 in the Week 4 installment, which was released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday.
NCAA Division I — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
NC State
NC State
2
BYU
BYU
3
New Mexico
New Mexico
4
Alabama
Alabama
5
Colorado
Colorado
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
The top spot is no longer shared after three straight weeks: NC State took sole possession of No. 1 after receiving six of 11 possible first-place votes.
The Wolfpack ran roughshod at the Joe Piane Invitational, capturing the team title by a staggering 56-point margin over No. 3 New Mexico. NC State had all five scoring runners finish in the top-12, including four in the top-9, led by Kelsey Chmiel’s third-place finish.
BYU, which received five first-place votes, is now ranked No. 2. The Cougars won their first two meets of the season and have been idle since winning the Florida State Open on September 17. The team will have a squad at the Steve T. Reeder Memorial at Utah State this weekend before heading to the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on October 15.
No. 4 Alabama climbed back into the top-5 after a week-long hiatus thanks to a two-spot improvement from No. 6. The Crimson Tide ran a full squad at the Joe Piane Invitational and finished third in a loaded field that featured five top-10 teams. Mercy Chelangat, the newly-minted National Athlete of the Week, and teammate Flomena Asekol went 1-2 overall to give Alabama a dynamic 1-2 punch.
No. 6 Minnesota and No. 7 Washington each moved up one spot from Week 3, also competing at the highly competitive Joe Piane Invitational. The Huskies finished three points ahead of the Gophers for fourth (Minnesota finished fifth). This was the second week in a row that Minnesota raced and had strong performances, as they were coming off a win at the Roy Griak Invitational the weekend before.
No. 10 Utah continues to ascend the leaderboard and is making their first top-10 appearance of the season. The Utes were idle this past weekend but are riding high on their dominating win at the Bill Dellinger Invitational a week before. Utah will send a squad to the Steve T. Reeder Memorial this weekend before venturing to the Pre-National Invitational in two weeks.
Ole Miss and Florida State also saw their billings improve after racing at the Joe Piane Invitational. The Rebels, who improved one spot to No. 14, finished sixth, while the Seminoles finished right behind in seventh to improve three spots from No. 18 to No. 15.
Three teams jumped multiple spots in this week’s National Coaches’ Poll: Portland moved up two spots from No. 20 to No. 18; Providence soared five spots from No. 24 to No. 19; Iowa State is up three spots from No. 25 to No. 22. While all three were idle this past weekend, they are expected to race at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational next weekend.
Two teams moved from the Land of Not Ranked and both made history in their own way: No. 27 Kentucky is ranked for the first time in program history; co-No. 28 Toledo is making its first appearance in the top-30 since 2014. The Wildcats and the Rockets had impressive outings at the Joe Piane Invitational, finishing eighth and ninth, respectively.
Also moving into the top-30, after receiving votes, were No. 20 Villanova and No. 30 Oregon State.
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.
