2022 NCAA DI Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 5
NEW ORLEANS – A big weekend means big changes.
Tik, tock. Or is it “Tik Tok?”
Either way, it was just a matter of time until Stanford hit No. 1 in the National Coaches’ Poll following its impressive, resounding victory this past weekend at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational.
Here is the newest edition of the NCAA Division I Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll for the 2022 season, as released on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Remember that this poll is conducted by counting votes from 11 member coaches – one from each of the division’s nine regions (who also do the regional rankings) – as well as two members from the NCAA Cross Country Executive Committee.
NCAA Division I — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Stanford
Stanford
2
BYU
BYU
3
Northern Arizona
Northern Arizona
4
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State
5
Air Force
Air Force
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
The Cardinal vaulted to No. 1 for the first time since Kesha topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2010 after decimating a stacked field in Madison, Wisconsin. Stanford sent four athletes across the finish line in the top-15, led by reigning M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week Ky Robinson’s individual title, as it beat former No. 1 BYU by 35 points, 54-89.
What happened over the 8k distance on the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course shaped what you see today in the Week 5 edition of the National Coaches’ Poll. All told, 19 teams that were ranked in the top-30 in Week 4 recently squared off in the Badger State.
You don’t have to look too far to find the Cougars, who slot in at No. 2. BYU owned a 20-point lead at the 6k split this past weekend, but appeared to put it in cruise control the rest of the way. The Cougars ran as a pack the entire race, posting 1-5 spreads of 3.5 seconds at 2k, 4.6 seconds at 4k, 1.5 seconds at 6k and then 2.5 seconds at the finish. Bear in mind that BYU didn’t race two of its All-Americans from last year: Casey Clinger or Weber State transfer Christian Allen.
Northern Arizona held steady at No. 3, following a third-place finish in Mad City. Nico Young and Drew Bosley provided the Lumberjacks with a strong 1-2 punch at the top of the lineup by finishing second and fifth, respectively, yet couldn’t find necessary help from their teammates to push them over the top. NAU went 2-5-33-45-60 with its scoring lineup.
Air Force soared seven spots to a program-record No. 5, right behind Oklahoma State at No. 4. The Falcons were the biggest surprise of the weekend, upending five teams that were ranked higher than them at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational and finishing just four points back of the Lumberjacks. Air Force was the first team with five athletes across the finish line on Saturday by a long shot. The Falcons were the only squad with five scorers in the top-50.
The next six spots virtually followed the order in which teams finished in Madison: Notre Dame was fifth and jumped seven spots from No. 13 to No. 6; Tulsa was sixth and dropped two spots to No. 7; Wisconsin was seventh and fell three spots to No. 9; Colorado was eighth and slid from No. 8 to No. 10; then you have Villanova and NC State, who were ninth and tenth, respectively, and slot in at No. 11 and No. 12 (NC State hadn’t been ranked this season until now). Portland and Oregon were 11th and 12th in Wisconsin and sit No. 14 and No. 15 in Week 5.
Further down, both Alabama and Montana State hit season-high ranks. The Bobcats are No. 21, one spot ahead of Alabama at No. 22. Montana State won the Weis-Crockett Invitational this past weekend in Stillwater, Oklahoma, while the Crimson Tide took top honors at their own Crimson Classic. Alabama went 1-3-4-7-16 with Vincent Kiprop staying undefeated in 2022.
Mark you calendars for Saturday, November 19, because that’s when the 2022 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships will be held at the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course in Stillwater, Oklahoma. You’ll be able to watch both championship races uninterrupted on ESPNU beginning at 10 am ET. Full steam ahead on the #RunToStillwater!
