2021 NCAA DII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 4
NEW ORLEANS – The first weekend of October did not disappoint.
Changes came in by the truckload following a competitive weekend of racing, as seen in the Week 4 edition of the NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll that was released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Wednesday. Five of the top-7 teams may have been safe, but the rest of the leaderboard saw plenty of shifts.
NCAA Division II — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Grand Valley State
Grand Valley State
1
Colo. School of Mines
Colo. School of Mines
3
Adams State
Adams State
4
Augustana (S.D.)
Augustana (S.D.)
5
Chico State
Chico State
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Nothing changed among the top-4 programs as co-No. 1s Colorado School of Mines and Grand Valley State, No. 3 Adams State and No. 4 Augustana (S.D.) held steady. All four teams impressed at their respective meets this past weekend: the Orediggers ran their full squad and dominated the field at the Chile Pepper Festival, winning by 92 points over the Vikings, who finished in second; the Lakers traveled to Kentucky and finished second in the Gold division at the Live in Lou Classic behind NCAA Division I Wisconsin, led by individual champion and National Athlete of the Week Isaac Harding; the Grizzlies were the top DII team in the Gold race at the Paul Short Run with a seventh place finish.
No. 5 Chico State improved one spot and is back in the top-5 for the third time this season following a week-long hiatus. The Wildcats were idle this past weekend and are slated to compete this weekend at the Bill Roe Classic.
Wingate and Western Colorado made big moves in the National Coaches’ Poll and now find themselves in the top-10. The Bulldogs, who turned in a strong win at the DII National Preview, found themselves jumping eight spots from No. 16 to No. 8 for a program best billing. The Mountaineers, who finished third at the Chile Pepper Festival, soared nine spots from No. 18 to No. 9.
Mississippi College owns their best ranking in program history at No. 15 after soaring 13 spots. The Choctaws held their own in the NCAA DI heavy Gold division at Live in Lou, claiming an eighth place finish and finishing ahead of former No. 11 (now No. 18) Queens (N.C.), who placed 14th in the field.
Joining the top-30 for the first time in 2021 are No. 28 Southern Connecticut and No. 30 Anderson (S.C.). Both teams received votes in Week 3.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 20, as the 2021 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships will take place at Abbey Golf Course in Tampa, Florida.
