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

NEW ORLEANS – Another busy weekend led to several shakeups.

Here is the Week 5 installment of the NCAA Division II Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings, as released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday afternoon.

Atlantic Region

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

Charleston (W.VA.) and Seton Hill remain No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, followed by No. 3 Edinboro, No. 4 Slippery Rock and No. 5 Davis & Elkins. Everyone raced this past weekend: the Golden Eagles placed sixth at the Royals XC Challenge and beat the Fighting Scots by 11 points, 188-199; the Griffins competed in a loaded field at the Lewis Crossover.; the Rock won the team title at the Bill Lennox Invite.

Central Region

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

Augustana (S.D.) and U-Mary remain No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, followed by No. 3 Minnesota Duluth and No. 4 Minnesota State. No. 5 Pittsburg State climbed three spots back into the top-5. All five teams competed this past weekend: the Vikings scored 20 points to win the Dordt Invitational; the Marauders won the Jimmie Invitational; the Bulldogs placed fourth at the Lewis Crossover; the Mavericks held off No. 6 Winona State, 31-34, to capture the team title at the Bob Waxlax Invitational; the Gorillas finished fourth at the UAH Invitational.

East Region

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

American International jumped one spot to No. 1 for the first time this season, followed by No. 2 Stonehill, who improved two spots. No. 3 Southern New Hampshire dropped two spots to No. 3, followed by No. 4 Roberts Wesleyan and No. 5 Daemen, who each gained one spot from their Week 4 billings. The top-3 teams raced at NEICAAA this past weekend: the Yellow Jackets had the best placement among the East teams with a ninth place finish; the Skyhawks beat the Penmen, 273-288, to finish 12th and 13th, respectively, and beating former No. 3 (now No. 7) Saint Anselm.

Midwest Region

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

Grand Valley State held steady at No. 1 and now followed by No. 2 Southern Indiana and No. 3 Southwest Baptist after trading places from a week ago. No. 4 Cedarville maintained its placement and now chased by No. 5 Lewis, who climbed five spots from it’s No. 10 ranking in Week 4. Four of the five teams competed this past weekend: the Lakers easily won the Lewis Crossover for a 70 point margin of victory over the Flyers, who placed second and finished ahead of several nationally-ranked programs; the Screaming Eagles earned runner-up honors at the UAH Invitational; the Yellow Jackets captured the team title at the Royals XC Challenge.

South Region

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

Lee (Tenn.), Mississippi College and Alabama-Huntsville held steady at No. 1, No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. Saint Leo is now No. 2 after leapfrogging Tampa (now No. 3). Four teams competed at the UAH Invitational: the Flames won the meet with 53 points; the Lions, Spartans and Chargers finished eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively. The Choctaws won the Watson Collegiate Invitational by 53 points.

South Central Region

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

Adams State and Colorado School of Mines remain No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, followed by No. 3 UC-Colorado Springs, No. 4 CSU Pueblo and No. 5 Western Colorado. The Grizzlies showcased their depth with a third place finish in the Gold section at the FHSU Tiger Classic.

Southeast Region

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

Queens (N.C.) and Wingate remain No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Lenoir-Rhyne climbed two spots to No. 3, which bumped No. 4 Anderson (S.C.) and and No. 5 Flagler down one spot each. Four teams competed this past weekend: the Royals and Bulldogs raced at the Royals XC Challenge, although neither ran to full strength; the Bears and Trojans placed ninth and 11th, respectively, at the Lewis Crossover.

West Region

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

Simon Fraser, Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus remain No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Biola (Calif.) leapfrogged Cal State San Marcos into the No. 4 spot (the Cougars are now No. 5). Four teams competed this past weekend: SFU won the WWU Bill Roe Classic with 41 points, while the Wildcats placed third with 102 points; the Eagles and Cougars finished eighth and 10th, respectively, at the Lewis Crossover.