

2023 NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 3
NEW ORLEANS – What a week for the collegiate scene! The regional rankings have certainly been shifting after some breakout performances and surprise victories stirred the pot and certain teams entered the spotlight.
Here is the newest edition of the NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings for the 2023 season, as released on Monday 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 Friday is set for Friday, November 10.
GREAT LAKES REGION
Projected AQs: No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 2 Michigan State
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 5 Michigan
Note: Ohio State moves one place upwards into the No. 4 position this week after the Buckeyes placed sixth at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational this weekend, placing ahead of regional rival Michigan by five points (165 to 170) and led by an individual runner-up finish by Addie Engels.
MID-ATLANTIC REGION
Projected AQs: No. 1 Georgetown, No. 2 Penn
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 Pittsburgh, No. 5 Villanova
Note: The first ranking shake ups in the region have finally happened after the weekend’s action, with Penn moving into the second-ranked position thanks to a runner-up team finish to Harvard at the Battle in Beantown, ahead of ranked opponents from other regions such as Villanova and Texas A&M. Penn State also moves up a rung to the third place ranking after the Paul Short Invitational, where the Nittany Lions placed fourth in the Women’s Gold 6k without lead scorer Faith DeMars. Pittsburgh makes the biggest statement of the week by soaring five places to the No. 4 spot, buoyed by their sixth-place team finish at the Joe Piane Invitational where Sadie Carey-Tharp’s 18th place individual finish led the charge for the Panthers. Villanova moves up as well to round out the top-5 after the Wildcats put two runners in the top-5 to earn a fourth-place team finish at the Battle in Beantown.
MIDWEST REGION
Projected AQs: No. 1 Oklahoma State, No. 2 Iowa State
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Northwestern, No. 4 Minnesota, No. 5 Nebraska
Note: Nebraska moves into the top-5 and earns the Huskers’ best ranking of the season thus far after the Gans Creek Classic, placing three runners within the top-15 individuals to earn a nearly 20-point victory over runner-up Missouri.
MOUNTAIN REGIONAL
Projected AQs: No. 1 Northern Arizona, No. 2 Colorado
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 BYU, No. 4 Utah, No. 5 Utah Valley
Note: There were no changes to the top-5 teams.
NORTHEAST REGION
Projected AQs: No. 1 Providence, No. 2 Syracuse
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Harvard, No. 4 Columbia, No. 5 Boston University
Note: Boston University climbed two places to the No. 5 position after the Terriers placed third in the Paul Short Women’s Gold race, with a statement race by freshman Hannah Prosser to claim second overall in a time of 19:59 over 6k.
SOUTH REGION
Projected AQs: No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Florida
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Ole Miss, No. 4 Lipscomb, No. 5 Florida State
Note: Alabama leapfrogs back into the No. 1 position after a strong outing at the Joe Piane Invitational, where the Crimson Tide started off with a individual victory from freshman Doris Lemngole, who defeated a field including the likes of All-American Kelsey Chmiel in a winning time of 16:05 over the 5-kilometer course. Alabama claimed an overall third-place team finish, only behind nationally-ranked No. 1 NC State and No. 4 Notre Dame. Lipscomb moves ahead of Florida State up into the No. 4 spot thanks to a fourth-place finish at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational ahead of national No. 26 Michigan and No. 30 Ohio State.
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION
Projected AQs: No. 1 Arkansas, No. 2 SMU
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Texas, No. 5 Tulane
Note: SMU rocketed four positions up to re-emerge into the top-5 teams after placing second at the Chile Pepper XC Festival. SMU placed four runners within the top-25 to put a 32-point margin between them and third place Western Colorado (89 to 121). LSU moves ahead of Texas to the No. 3 spot after a victory at the FSU XC Invitational, tallying just 27 points in the team score and led by individual victor Lorena Rangel Batres.
SOUTHEAST REGION
Projected AQs: No. 1 NC State, No. 2 Virginia
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Furman, No. 4 UNC, No. 5 Duke
Note: Furman hops two places into the No. 3 spot after making quite the statement at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational in Chicago, where the Paladins put all five scorers in the top-20 places to earn a victory with 68 points over national No. 25 Ole Miss, No. 26 Michigan, No. 30 Ohio State, and No. 17 Wisconsin.
WEST REGION
Projected AQs: No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 Washington
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 California Baptist, No. 4 Gonzaga, No. 5 Oregon
Note: Gonzaga flies six positions into the No. 4 spot after a fifth-place finish at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational, defeating No. 30 Ohio State and No. 26 Michigan. The Bulldogs earned an individual winner in Rosina Machu, who emerged as a force to be reckoned with after defeating runner-up and All-American Addie Engel by more than twenty seconds (19:20 to 19:44).