2023 NCAA DIII Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 4

NEW ORLEANS – Hello, October!

Here is the newest edition of the NCAA DIII 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 Saturday is set for November 11.

East Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 MIT

Next in Line: No. 2 Bates

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Tufts, No. 4 WPI, No. 5 Wellesley.

Note: Wellesley earned its best ranking of the season at No. 5.

Great Lakes Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Calvin

Next in Line: No. 2 Centre

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Wittenberg, No. 4 John Carroll, No. 5 Hope.

Note: Wow! Talk about changes. One week after winning the team title at the Dickinson Long-Short Invitational, Calvin ran roughshod over the competition at its home meet, despite sitting out five of its top-7 runners. Centre, led by Meghan Owens, finished 11th in the Women’s 5k Blue at the Live in Lou Cross Country Classic, one spot better than Wittenberg.

Metro Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 TCNJ

Next in Line: No. 2 Stockton

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Moravian, No. 4 Widener, No. 5 Rowan

Note: The winds of change swept through the Metro Region based on what happened at the Paul Short Run. TCNJ ran well in the Women’s College Brown Race, while Stockton, Moravian and Widener all finished in that respective order in the Women’s College White Race.

Mid-Atlantic Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Johns Hopkins

Next in Line: No. 2 Carnegie Mellon

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Misericordia, No. 4 Dickinson, No. 5 Gettysburg

Note: There were no changes to the top-5 teams in Week 4.

Mideast Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Williams

Next in Line: No. 2 Amherst

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Vassar, No. 4 Middlebury, No. 5 Smith

Note: Smith and Connecticut College swapped spots in Week 4.

Midwest Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 UChicago

Next in Line: No. 2 Wartburg

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Washington (Mo.), No. 4 Central (Iowa), No. 5 Simpson

Note: There were no changes to the top-5 teams in Week 4.

Niagara Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 SUNY Geneseo

Next in Line: No. 2 NYU

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Ithaca, No. 4 RIT, No. 5 Hamilton

Notes: RIT made the biggest move, going from No. 9 to No. 4. The Tigers finished second in the Women’s College White Race at the Paul Short Run this past weekend, right behind champion Coast Guard. When we say “right behind,” we mean it: Coast Guard 104, RIT 107.

North Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Carleton

Next in Line: No. 2 UW-La Crosse

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 St. Olaf, No. 4 UW-Eau Claire, No. 5 Saint Benedict

Note: There were no changes to the top-5 teams in Week 4.

South Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Lynchburg

Next in Line: No. 2 Washington & Lee

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Emory, No. 4 Catholic, No. 5 Shenandoah

Note: There were several notable changes between Week 3 and Week 4. Washington & Lee leapfrogged Emory into the No. 2 spot, while Catholic re-entered the top-5 and Shenandoah cracked the upper echelon for the first time this season. Both the Eagles and the Cardinals competed well at the Paul Short Run this past weekend, as the former placed tenth in the Women’s College Brown Race and the latter was fourth in the Women’s College White Race.

West Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps

Next in Line: No. 2 George Fox

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 UC Santa Cruz, No. 4 Colorado College, No. 5 Pomona-Pitzer.

Note: UC Santa Cruz and Colorado College swapped spots in Week 4.