2023 NCAA DII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 7
NEW ORLEANS – Here is the newest edition of the NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll for the 2023 season, as released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Wednesday afternoon. Only teams that qualified for the upcoming NCAA Championships are included in this ranking.
Remember that this poll is conducted by counting votes from eight member coaches – one from each of the division’s eight regions – who also do the Regional Rankings.
NCAA Division II — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Colo. School of Mines
Colo. School of Mines
2
Wingate
Wingate
3
Grand Valley State
Grand Valley State
4
Adams State
Adams State
5
East Central (Okla.)
East Central (Okla.)
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Welcome to the calm before the storm. Two weeks is all that stands between right now and the crowning of a champion in Joplin, Missouri.
No. 1 Colorado School of Mines was in full preparation mode at the South Central Region Championship this past weekend. The Orediggers downed No. 4 Adams State, No. 6 West Texas A&M, and No. 7 Western Colorado to remain undefeated and capture the regional crown.
No. 2 Wingate answered the call with authority, sweeping away the Southeast Region with a perfect 15 points. Three Bulldogs covered the 10k course in less than 29 minutes.
No. 3 Grand Valley State triumphed over the rest of the Midwest Region in a confident show of depth. Four Lakers ran the entire race as one. The printed results read 6-7-8-9, a nearly impossible combination to overcome, especially when the spread was 0.3 seconds.
Inspired by Peter Kipkemboi’s individual title, No. 5 East Central (Okla.) did their best imitation of the performance. The Tigers managed to walk away with a Central Region crown on their own, though it wasn’t a clean slate, and bested No. 16 Pittsburg State by 72 points.
Not far behind is West Region champion No. 8 Chico State. In a nail-biter, the Wildcats emerged victorious as 32 points separated first through fourth, including No. 9 Azusa Pacific, No. 14 Cal Poly Pomona, and No. 15 Western Washington.
No. 18 Fort Lewis, No. 22 Mississippi College, and No. 23 UC-Colorado Springs reaped the benefits of competitive fields and moved up quite considerably. The Skyhawks and Mountain Lions held their own at the South Central Championships, going toe to toe with five top-10 teams in the nation. On the other hand, the Choctaws claimed third place in the South Region, where they defeated No. 24 Alabama-Huntsville from an unranked position.
No. 11 Lewis, No. 13 Saginaw Valley State, No. 20 Augusta, and No. 27 Washburn also improved their billing in Week 7.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 18th, as the 2023 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships will take place at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course in Joplin, Missouri!
