2022 NCAA DII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 5
NEW ORLEANS – It’s the calm before the storm.
Here is the newest edition of the NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll for the 2022 season, as released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Wednesday afternoon. Remember that this poll is conducted by counting votes from eight member coaches – one from each of the division’s eight regions – who also do the Regional Rankings.
NCAA Division II — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Colo. School of Mines
Colo. School of Mines
2
Adams State
Adams State
3
Grand Valley State
Grand Valley State
4
Wingate
Wingate
5
Chico State
Chico State
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
While only a handful of teams improved their standings from Week 4 to Week 5, a few key meets caused some shifts in the top-30 this week.
We’ll start with Chico State leapfrogging Lee (Tenn.) into the No. 5 spot. It was at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational that the Wildcats romped to the team title with 54 points, 66 points fewer than runner-up NCAA DI Weber State and topping several NCAA DII West Region opponents. Omar Alvarez-Hernandez was the first Wildcat across the line in third place to lead their scoring runners to top-17 finishes.
Missouri Southern climbed one spot to No. 8 after taking home top honors at the DBU Old Glory Gallup. The Lions, behind an individual victory from Gidieon Kimutai, got their scoring runners across the line in the top-14, including four in the top-10. East Central (Okla.), the runner-up at that meet, soared to No. 13 for its first ranking since the 2016 season. The Tigers put together their best showing of the season to get the nod in the National Coaches’ Poll, finishing just four points behind Missouri Southern. Oliver Kiptoo and Amos Pkiach placed second and third, respectively, and were two of four Tigers that finished in the top-9.
Mississippi College jumped seven spots from No. 16 to No. 9 for its best ranking in program history. The Choctaws recently won the team title at the UAB Blazer Classic with 25 points behind a 1-2-3 finish by Gabe Poulin (first, 23:54.7), Jan Lukas Becker (23:54.9) and Hunter Kurz (third, 23:56.1).
Neb.-Kearney is at a program-best No. 12 thanks to a 12 spot improvement. The Lopers beat new No. 14 Augustana (S.D.) (previously No. 8) by five points, 42-47, at the Platte River Rumble. Luke Stuckey and Ben Arens led the Lopers to a 2-3-7-14-16 finish compared to the Vikings’ athletes going 4-8-9-11-15.
We’ll see some great racing among the nation’s top teams at the D2 Pre-Nationals in University Place, Washington and the UAH Invitational in Huntsville, Alabama. Three top-10 teams will head to Washington State: No. 1 Colorado School of Mines, No. 5 Chico State and No. 10 Western Colorado. Headlining the meet in Alabama will be No. 4 Wingate and No. 6 Lee (Tenn.).
Mark your calendars for Friday, December 2, as the 2022 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships will take place at Chambers Bay Golf Club in University Place, Washington!
