2023 NCAA DII Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 1

NEW ORLEANS – The 2023 season is officially underway!

Here is the week one edition of the NCAA DII Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings for the 2023 season, as released on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Regional Rankings are determined subjectively by a single member coach in each respective region. The regional representative is tasked with weighing returning teams’ strength with current season results (if applicable) in determining a rank-order of squad potential. Only USTFCCCA member programs are eligible to receive a ranking. Teams with provisional status within the region may be ranked.

Regional Championships are set for Saturday, November 4.

Atlantic Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Charleston (W.Va.), No. 2 Lock Haven, No. 3 Davis and Elkins

Next in Line: No. 4 Slippery Rock

Also in the Hunt: No. 5 Edinboro

Note: No. 3 Davis and Elkins opened the season with a second place finish at the Panther Invite beating No. 4 Slippery Rock by seven points. Three freshmen in the top five helped the Senators hop six spots in the Atlantic Region standings. 

Central Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Winona State, No. 2 Augustana (S.D.), No. 3 Minnesota State

Next in Line: No. 4 Pittsburg State

Also in the Hunt: No. 5 Minnesota Duluth

Note: No. 1 Winona State overtook No. 2 Augustana (S.D.) for the top spot in the Central Region this weekend. Led by Lindsay Cunningham, the Warriors posted a 21:38 6k average, over a minute better than their spread at the 2022 season opener.  

East Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Southern New Hampshire, No. 2 Roberts Wesleyan, No. 3 St. Michael’s

Next in Line: No. 4 St. Anslem

Also in the Hunt: No. 5 Southern Connecticut State

Note: No. 3 St. Michaels jumped up the standings from their East Region preseason placement which had the Purple Knights outside of the top five. With four first years at the helm, a three point loss to No. 1 SNHU makes for a tight contest at the top of the poll. 

Midwest Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Grand Valley State, No. 2 Wayne State (Mich.), No. 3 Cedarville

Next in Line: No. 4 Saginaw Valley State

Also in the Hunt: No. 5 Lewis

Note: No changes in the top five this week. 

South Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Lee (Tenn.), No. 2 Tampa, No. 3 Mississippi College

Next in Line: No. 4 Palm Beach Atlantic

Also in the Hunt: No. 5 Florida Southern

Note: No. 5 Florida Southern squeaked into the top five after beating Embry Riddle (Fla.) head to head. 

South Central Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Adams State, No. 2 Colorado School of Mines, No. 3 UC-Colorado Springs

Next in Line: No. 4 Western Colorado

Also in the Hunt: No. 5 CSU-Pueblo

Note: No. 5 CSU-Pueblo passed Colorado Christian after the Thunderwolves nearly upset No. 3 UC-Colorado Springs at the UCCS Rust Buster, falling short by just seven points. 

Southeast Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Wingate, No. 2 Catawba, No. 3 Anderson

Next in Line: No. 4 Flagler

Also in the Hunt: No. 5 Converse

Note: With an impressive showing at the Eye Opener XC Festival, No. 5 Converse inched up the leaderboard to crack the top five. 

West Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Stanislaus, No. 2 Chico State, No. 3 Biola

Next in Line: No. 4 Azusa Pacific

Also in the Hunt: No. 5 Western Washington

Note: Western Washington jumped to No. 5 after winning the Puget Sound Invitational this past weekend.