2021 NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 6

NEW ORLEANS – Welcome to the postseason!

Here is the final release of the NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings for the season, which was released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Monday. Massive changes occurred following the outcome of Conference Championships Weekend, including two regions being completely revamped.

Great Lakes Region

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

Michigan remained at No. 1 and is now followed by No. 2 Wisconsin, No. 3 Michigan State, No. 4 Toledo and No. 5 Notre Dame. The Wolverines, Badgers and Spartans finished fourth, second, and third, respectively, at the Big Ten Championships. The Rockets won the Mid-American title to leapfrog the Fighting Irish, who were fifth at the ACC Championships. 

Mid-Atlantic Region

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

West Virginia remained at No. 1 and is now followed by No. 2 Georgetown and No. 3 Villanova, while No. 4 Princeton and No. 5 Penn State held steady. The Mountaineers placed third at the Big 12 Championships behind Oklahoma State and Iowa State. The Hoyas beat the Wildcats at the BIG EAST Championships to win the team title, while the Wildcats came in fourth. The Tigers finished second at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships and Penn State placed 10th at the Big Ten meet.

Midwest Region

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

Minnesota and Oklahoma State remain No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, followed by No. 3 Iowa State, No. 4 Illinois and No. 5 Northwestern. The Gophers won the Big Ten in thrilling fashion, while the Fighting Illini and Wildcats placed sixth and seventh, respectively. The Cowgirls held off the Cyclones to win the Big 12 Championships.

Mountain Region

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

BYU jumped two spots into the No. 1 position and dropped New Mexico and Colorado to No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Utah held steady at No. 4, while No. 5 Northern Arizona is back in the top-5. The Cougars won the team title at the WCC Championships and are returning to form. The Lobos won the Mountain West with a perfect score, while the Buffaloes and Utes went 1-2 at the Pac-12 Championships. The Lumberjacks took home top honors at the Big Sky Championships.

Northeast Region

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

Syracuse and Providence remained No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, followed by No. 3 Connecticut and No. 4 Harvard. Yale improved one spot to come in at No. 5 this week. The Orange ran to fourth-place finish at the ACC Championships, with the Friars and Huskies finishing fifth and third, respectively, at the BIG EAST Championships. The Crimson won the Ivy League title and Bulldogs placed third.

South Region

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

Florida State and Ole Miss improved one spot each to No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Alabama fell to No. 3 and is followed by No. 4 Tennessee and No. 5 Georgia Tech. The Seminoles ran to a strong third place finish at the ACC Championships, while the Yellow Jackets finished eighth. The Rebels captured runner-up honors at the SEC Championships behind Arkansas, while the Crimson Tide and Lady Vols finished third and fourth, respectively, in Columbia, Missouri.

South Central Region

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

Arkansas remained at No. 1 and now followed by No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Abilene Christian, No. 4 Rice and No. 5 LSU. The Razorbacks captured another SEC title. The Longhorns ran to a fourth-place showing at the Big 12. The Wildcats and Owls each came in third at the WAC Championships and Conference USA Championships, respectively. The Tigers places 10th overall at the SEC Championships.

Southeast Region

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

NC State and North Carolina remain No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, and are now followed by No. 3 Kentucky and No. 4 Liberty. No. 5 Furman held steady. The Wolfpack ran away with the ACC crown and the Tar Heels placed second. The Wildcats finished fourth at the SEC meet. The Flames captured the ASUN title and Furman was victorious at the SoCon Championships.

West Region

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

Oregon soared into the No. 1 spot to drop Washington to No. 2. Gonzaga moved up to No. 3, while Stanford and Portland fell to No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. The Ducks were the top West Region team at the Pac-12 Championships and finished third, while the Huskies placed fourth and the Cardinal came in fifth. The Zags captured runner-up honors at the WCC Championships and the Pilots right behind in third.