2022 NCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 6
NEW ORLEANS – What a weekend!
Here is the newest NCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll for the 2022 season, as released on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Remember that this poll is conducted by counting votes from ten member coaches – one from each of the division’s ten regions – who also do the weekly Regional Rankings.
NCAA Division III — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Pomona-Pitzer
Pomona-Pitzer
2
MIT
MIT
3
North Central (Ill.)
North Central (Ill.)
4
UW-La Crosse
UW-La Crosse
5
Wartburg
Wartburg
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Let’s start at the top where Pomona-Pitzer and MIT remain entrenched at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. If you thought the Sagehens and/or the Engineers would budge, you had another thing coming based on their efforts this past weekend. Facing off against the strongest fields they faced this year, Pomona-Pitzer and MIT rolled to victories. The Sagehens topped three other top-10 squads at the Augustana Interregional Invitational, while the Engineers stomped most – if not, all – of the East and Mideast at the Connecticut College Invitational.
Both North Central (Ill.) and UW-La Crosse inched deeper inside the top-5 at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. The Cardinals finished a clear runner-up at the Augustana Interregional Invitational thanks to putting three athletes in the top-10 (Connor Riss took second behind Christopher Collet of Wartburg). The Eagles won a hard-fought battle against NJCAA DI No. 2 Iowa Central at its own Jim Drews/Tori Neubauer Invitational (UW-La Crosse was easily the best NCAA DIII program in the field, as it beat UW-Oshkosh by 105 points, 42-147).
Two teams that stood out this past weekend at the Connecticut College Invitational saw their stock rise in the National Coaches’ Poll: Williams and Middlebury. The Ephs, who jumped from No. 9 to No. 7, took runner-up honors behind MIT behind reigning M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week Elias Lindgren’s individual title. The Panthers, who surged 17 spots from No. 30 to No. 13, ended up third behind MIT and Williams, six points ahead of new No. 14 St. Olaf in fourth.
Further down, two teams climbed seven or more spots since Week 5: SUNY Geneseo and Colby. The Knights, who are now ranked No. 21, finished runner-up behind No. 6 RPI at the Rowan Interregional Border Battle this past weekend. The Mules, who are now ranked No. 24, were a strong sixth at the Connecticut College Invitational behind an individual runner-up finish by Tyler Morris, beating two teams ranked higher than them in Week 5.
Connecticut College and Calvin come in at No. 30 and No. 32, respectively.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 19, because that’s when the 2022 NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships will be held at the Forest Akers Golf Course in East Lansing, Michigan. Top athletes and teams from the 2022 season will take the course at noon ET.
