2023 NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 5

NEW ORLEANS –Conference Championship weekend may be over, but the fun is just beginning as teams put the finishing touches on their racing squads and gear up towards the next step to qualifying for the National Championships. 

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 Michigan, No. 5 Ohio State

Notes: Michigan switched spots with Ohio State after the Big Ten Championships, where the Wolverine tallied 102 points to place third in the team race ahead of Ohio State’s fifth-place score of 154. 

MID-ATLANTIC REGION

Projected AQs: No. 1 Georgetown, No. 2 Penn State

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 West Virginia, No. 4 Princeton,  No. 5 Villanova 

Notes: West Virginia sails into the top-3 teams thanks to an impressive run at the Big 12 Championships, placing fourth behind nationally-ranked teams of Oklahoma State, Iowa State, and BYU. Princeton claims the No. 4 spot after a runner-up team finish at the Ivy League Heps, with the Tigers going 7-12-13-14-27 to tally 73 points. 

MIDWEST REGION

Projected AQs: No. 1 Oklahoma State, No. 2 Iowa State

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Northwestern, No. 4 Nebraska, No. 5 Illinois 

Notes: Illinois marks the only change to the top-5, as the Fighting Illini earn their best ranking of the season after placing eighth at the Big Ten Championships, ahead of former No. 5 Minnesota. 

MOUNTAIN REGION

Projected AQs: No. 1 Northern Arizona, No. 2 BYU

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Colorado, No. 4 Utah, No. 5 Utah Valley 

Notes: Utah Valley moves back into the top-5, as the Wolverines placed every scorer in the top-10 individually at the WAC Championships to defeat national No. 12 CBU and claim the team title, 30-36. 

NORTHEAST REGION

Projected AQs: No. 1 Harvard, No. 2 Syracuse

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Providence, No. 4 Boston College, No. 5 Connecticut

Notes: Providence and Boston College both did one place better than last week’s rankings after strong conference weekend showings. At the Big East Championships, Providence put three runners in the top-15 to finish behind national No. 3 Georgetown. Boston College earned a sixth-place finish at the ACC Championships, led individually by Emma Tavella (21st). Connecticut emerges into the top-5 after a fourth-place Big East Championship finish, with all five athletes in the top-30. 

SOUTH REGION

Projected AQs: No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Tennessee

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 Lipscomb, No. 5 Ole Miss

Notes: Tennessee surges ahead into the top-2 billed teams, as the Lady Volunteers put down a massive third-place finish at the SEC Championships, going 10-13-14-21-22 to notch 80 points and finish ahead of both Alabama and Ole Miss.

SOUTH CENTRAL

Projected AQs: No. 1 Arkansas, No. 2 Tulane 

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 SMU, No. 5 Texas

Notes: Tulane jumps back into a projected AQ position, as the Green Wave team claimed their first-ever team title at the AAC Championships, going 1-4-5-10-22 to score just 42 points, ahead of Charlotte and regional foe SMU. Texas entered the top-5 once again after the Longhorns finished seventh at the Big 12 Championships. 

SOUTHEAST REGION

Projected AQs: No. 1 NC State, No. 2 Virginia

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Furman, No. 4 UNC, No. 5 Duke

Notes: UNC and Duke continue to rearrange the order week after week, as UNC moves back ahead into No. 4 after a fifth-place ACC finish, while Duke finished seventh. 

WEST REGION 

Projected AQs: No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 Washington

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Oregon, No. 4 Oregon State, No. 5 CBU

Notes: While the same teams make up the top-5, the order has certainly seen some adjustments: Washington moves to No. 2 after the Huskies finished a close second behind national No. 5 Stanford at the final PAC-12 Championships, placing every scorer in the top-20 to tally 50 points, ahead of Oregon and Oregon State.