2021 NCAA DIII Cross Country Regional Championships Saturday Preview

Regional Championships Saturday is almost here!

Qualifying for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships has changed a bit.

Out with the old, which featured two automatic qualifiers per region and 16 at-large selections, per gender; in with the new, which will have one automatic qualifier per region and 22 at-large selections, per gender. You read that correctly: at-large selections now double the number of automatic qualifying bids.

From The USTFCCCA InfoZone: Meets & Results | USTFCCCA Scoreboard

Competition will be fierce with only 10 tickets promised per gender to the 2021 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships next Saturday at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park in Louisville, Kentucky. This is the last chance to impress the Selection Committee before the field is decided.

Find out which three of the 10 regional meets stood out to us the most.

Midwest Region Championships

Date: Saturday, November 13 | Location: Rock Island, Illinois
CLICK HERE FOR LIVE RESULTS FROM THE MEET

Can you name the only region with three top-10 teams in one race?

If you’re reading this section of the post, then you already know.

The Women’s 6k Championship, which starts at noon CT, features a savory top-10 triangular between No. 3 Wartburg, No. 4 Washington (Mo.) and No. 7 UChicago. If previous matchups between these three programs are any indication, we’re in store for a great race on Saturday. It was back in early October at the Dan Huston Invitational where the team title had to be decided on a tiebreaker between eventual champion Wartburg and WashU, after each team finished with 30 points. Two weeks later, UChicago joined both the Bears and the Knights on the start line at the Augustana Interregional Invitational. Wartburg ultimately took runner-up honors behind meet champion Pomona-Pitzer, but UChicago and WashU had to be separated by a tiebreaker in third and fourth place (The Bears got the edge on the all-important 3-2 tiebreaker). All three of those programs have a great shot at advancing to the NCAA meet, while No. 34 Elmhurst might need a strong showing to impress the Selection Committee.

The Men’s 8k Championship, first on the course at 11 am CT, isn’t to be overlooked. You’ll see national No. 1 Wartburg go up against No. 9 North Central (Ill.), No. 14 Washington (Mo.), No. 16 Loras and No. 18 UChicago. Dominant would be a great word to describe the Knights in 2021. Wartburg is undefeated with an average margin of victory of 28 points. Outside of a seven-point victory over Pomona-Pitzer at the Augustana Interregional Invitational, the closest another NCAA DIII program got to Wartburg was 21 points (WashU at the Dan Huston Invitational). If the Knights falter, any of those other four programs could top the podium, led by the Cardinals. North Central (Ill.) has the pedigree and showed signs of life as of late. Remember that the Bears gave Wartburg a run for its money at the Dan Huston Invitational and Loras is on the rise.

North Region Championships

Date: Saturday, November 13 | Location: Colfax, Wisconsin
CLICK HERE FOR LIVE RESULTS FROM THE MEET

If you want to be amazed by sheer volume of ranked teams, look no further.

Here is the North Region coming your way with an even six-team split for 12 total teams.

The Men’s 8k Championship, first on the course at 11 am CT, features No. 8 UW-La Crosse, No. 10 UW-Whitewater, No. 15 Carleton, No. 25 St. Olaf, No. 27 UW-Oshkosh and No. 29 UW-Eau Claire. These teams are quite familiar with each other: the Wisconsin programs are in the WIAC; the Knights and the Oles are in the MIAC. Not only that, but we’ve seen several duels during the regular season – most notably at the UW-Eau Claire Blugold Invitational. The Warhawks earned the win that day by 40 points over the Knights, while the Titans finished third with the Oles and Blugold needing to be separated by a tiebreaker in fourth and fifth. UW-La Crosse soared to the team title over UW-Whitewater at the WIAC Championships by just four points two weeks ago, so that’s going to be a great battle once again. Look for jostling throughout the rest of the team standings as they’ll try to pack the NCAA meet with teams from the North Region.

The Women’s 6k Championship, second on the course at noon CT, seems like a coronation for No. 8 UW-La Crosse as the highest-ranked team in the field. Despite their ease of victory at the WIAC Championships two weeks ago, where they won by 29 points over No. 18 UW-Eau Claire, the Eagles better be on high alert. The Blugold want nothing more to beat its rival and the same could be said for No. 32 UW-Oshkosh and No. 35 UW-Stevens Point. Don’t forget that back at the UW-Eau Claire Blugold Invitational that eventual champion UW-Eau Claire and Carleton went stride for stride and had to be separated by a tiebreaker at the end. St. Olaf runs well as a pack, too, and could mix up the team standings with Bella Call and Julia Everest out front.

East Region Championships

Date: Saturday, November 13 | Location: Boston, Massachusetts
CLICK HERE FOR LIVE RESULTS FROM THE MEET

A total of 10 ranked teams will vie for East Region titles on Saturday.

You better believe we’re about to see some exciting racing at historic Franklin Park.

The Women’s 6k Championship, second on the course at noon ET, has six of the 10 ranked programs: No. 11 MIT, No. 14 Tufts, No. 16 Bates, No. 24 Wellesley, No. 26 Brandeis and No. 35 WPI. The Cambridge-based Engineers are the consensus favorite, based on their ranking as well as their results against region foes: MIT beat Tufts and WPI head-to-head at the Purple Valley Classic (2. MIT 64, 3. Tufts 79, 5. WPI 105); MIT topped four of its five ranked opponents at the Connecticut College Invitational in mid-October (2. MIT 99, 3. Tufts 120, 4. Bates 163, 7. Brandeis 180, 8. WPI 231). The Jumbos have impressed as of late, most recently finishing a strong runner-up at the NESCAC Championships. Tufts has arguably the best 1-2-3 at the top of its lineup with Danielle Page, Anna Slager and Meghan Davis. Don’t rule out the Bobcats or the Blue, which has rocketed up the rankings. The Judges could certainly shake things up, too.

The Men’s 8k Championship, first on the course at 11 am ET, has a big split between its ranked teams: No. 3 MIT is the headliner, while No. 17 Colby, No. 26 Tufts and No. 32 Bates trail. The Engineers have impressed all season long, beginning with a strong runner-up finish at the Purple Valley Classic, followed by a dominant victory at the Live in the Lou Cross Country Classic, another strong runner-up finish at the Connecticut College Invitational and then a clean sweep of the top-7 spots at the NEWMAC Championships. The Mules entered the season ranked No. 18, dropped as far as No. 30 in Week 7, but climbed 13 spots in Week 8 to a season-high No. 17 thanks to a third-place showing at the NESCAC Championships. Colby’s Tyler Norris is a low stick waiting to happen every single time he steps on the course and proved that with his NESCAC individual title. Look for Bates and Tufts to vie for precious at-large bids.