2021 NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 5

NEW ORLEANS – Change was guaranteed to happen after an exciting weekend of racing!

Here is the Week 5 edition of the NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings, which was released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Monday. Every region had some sort of change among their top-5 programs, with three regions having new No. 1s and a completely new look to the Northeast.

Great Lakes Region

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

While Michigan, Michigan State and Toledo remain No. 1, No. 2 and No. 5, respectively, Wisconsin leapfrogged Notre Dame for the No. 3 spot (the Fighting Irish are now No. 4). All five teams competed this past weekend: the Wolverines rolled to a win at the PSU National Open; the Badgers, Fighting Irish and Spartans finished 10th, 11th and 12th, respectively, at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational; the Rockets placed 11th in the Garnet section at the FSU Invite/Pre-Nats.

Mid-Atlantic Region

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

West Virginia climbed two spots to become the new No. 1 in the region. The move by the Mountaineers bumped Villanova and Georgetown down one spot to No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. No. 4 Princeton and No. 5 Penn State held steady. The Mountaineers finished nine points ahead of the Wildcats at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, led by individual champion Ceili McCabe. The Hoyas placed 10th at the FSU Invite/Pre-Nats.

Midwest Region

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

Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Iowa State and Illinois remain No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, and joined by new No. 5 Northwestern after a two spot improvement. All five teams had strong outings this past weekend at their respective meets: the Gophers and Cowgirls placed fourth and fifth at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, followed by the Cyclones in ninth; the Fighting Illini placed ninth at the FSU Invite/Pre-Nats; the Wildcats ran to a third place finish at the PSU National Open.

Mountain Region

There were several big changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the Mountain Region.

New Mexico and Colorado each climbed one spot and now sit at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. The move dropped BYU to No. 3, while No. 4 Utah and No. 5 Colorado State held steady. The Lobos won the team title at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, taking down the Cougars, who finished third, while the Rams ran to a sixth-place finish. The Buffalos easily won the FSU Invite/Pre-Nats by 95 points over the second-place Utes.

Northeast Region

There were a slew of changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the Northeast Region.

Syracuse soared four spots from No. 5 in Week 4 to No. 1 in Week 5. That dropped everyone else back one spot: No. 2 Providence, No. 3 Connecticut, No. 4 Harvard and No. 5 Columbia. Everyone raced at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational this past weekend and finished in that same order. The Orange finished three points ahead of the Friars for seventh (Providence finished eighth). The Huskies, Crimson and Lions placed 22nd, 25th and 30th, respectively.

South Region

There were several changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the South Region.

While Alabama held steady at No. 1, the rest of the top-5 got rearranged. Florida State leaped over Ole Miss for the No. 2 spot and bumped the Rebels down to No. 3. Spot, while No. 4 Georgia Tech and No. 5 Tennessee traded places from a week ago. The Seminoles beat the Rebels by two points at the FSU Invite/Pre-Nats to finish third and fourth, respectively. The Yellow Jackets ran to a runner-up finish at the PSU National Open, while the Lady Vols won the Open race at the FSU Invite/Pre-Nats.

South Central Region

There were several changes to the order of the top-5 teams in the South Central Region.

Arkansas stayed at No. 1 and followed by new No. 2 Abilene Christian after climbing two spots. Texas A&M also held its position at No. 3 as the Aggies are followed by No. 4 Texas and No. 5 Rice, who climbed back into the top-5. All five teams competed this past weekend: the Razorbacks ran to a sixth-place finish at the FSU Invite/Pre-Nats; the Wildcats, Aggies and Owls finished third, fourth and fifth at the Arturo Barrios Invitational; the Longhorns raced in the Open section at the FSU Invite/Pre-Nats and captured runner-up honors.

Southeast Region

There were a few shakeups to the order of the top-5 teams in the Southeast Region.

NC State and North Carolina remain No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Liberty jumped two spots to No. 3, which bumped Kentucky and Furman down one spot to No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. The Wolfpack placed second at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational and the Paladins finished 23rd overall. At the FSU Invite/Pre-Nats, the Tar Heels, Flames and Wildcats placed fifth, eighth and 12th, respectively.

West Region

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

Washington, Stanford and Portland remain No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Oregon jumped one post to No. 4, while Gonzaga climbed three spots to No. 5 for its first top-5 appearance of the season. All five teams raced at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational this past weekend and finished in that order: the Huskies placed 15th; the Cardinal were 16th; the Pilots came in 17th; the Ducks finished in 18th; the Zags came in 21st.