2024 NCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Preseason

NEW ORLEANS – Cross country is back!

Here is the preseason edition of the NCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings for the 2024 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 16.

East Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 MIT

Next in Line: No. 2 Tufts

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Bowdoin, No. 4 Bates, No. 5 Bates

Notes: MIT and Tufts duked it out over 8k for the regional title this year and much of the same is expected in 2024. The Engineers and Jumbos combined to have seven runners in the top-15 at the regional meet last year but only return three of them. MIT lost its top-4 athletes to graduation and must look to its depth to defend its crown. Tufts could be a force, if healthy.

Great Lakes Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 John Carroll

Next in Line: No. 2 Calvin

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Hope, No. 4 Mount Union, No. 5 Case Western Reserve

Notes: It’s expected to be close at the top of the Great Lakes Region between John Carroll, Calvin and Hope. The Blue Streaks captured the regional title last year with a strong squad, but saw some turnover in the offseason. The Knights return several athletes who excelled at both the regional and national level before, which bodes well for their chances in 2024.

Metro Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Rowan

Next in Line: No. 2 Haverford

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 TCNJ, No. 4 Moravian, No. 5 Swarthmore

Notes: Rowan is said to be the deepest team in the Metro Region with six returning runners who clocked sub-15 minute 5ks during the track season. Defending regional champion Haverford will be led by All-American Peter LaRochelle and has a healthy Reza Eshghi back in the fold.

Mid-Atlantic Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Carnegie Mellon

Next in Line: No. 2 Johns Hopkins

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

Notes: Defending regional champion Carnegie Mellon begins the season at No. 1 and it’s easy to why with its returning depth from a team that scored just 19 points last year. The Tartans put six runners in the top-7 and welcome back three of them, including Ryan Podnar and Colin McLaughlin, who finished third and fourth, respectively.. The Blue Jays have last year’s 16th-place finisher Tommy Li as their top returner.

Mideast Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Williams

Next in Line: No. 2 RPI

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Amherst, No. 4 Middlebury, No. 5 St. Lawrence

Notes: Iron sharpens iron. Williams and RPI pushed each other to a 1-2 finish at the regional meet last year and then both finished among the top-7 teams at the NCAA Championships. The Ephs welcome back a strong contingent, led by individual regional runner-up Nikhil DeNatale. The Engineers will be buoyed by the return of two athletes who finished in the top-10 of the regional meet last year: Vince Simonetti (third) and Mitchell Daily (seventh).

Midwest Region

Projected AQ: No.1 Wartburg

Next in Line: No. 2 North Central (Ill.)

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Washington (Mo.), No. 4 Loras, No. 5 UChicago

Notes: Competitive doesn’t begin to describe what’s expected out of the Midwest Region in 2024. Wartburg is the projected favorite thanks to returning six of seven runners from a strong squad last year and will have NCAA 10,000-meter runner-up Tyler Shermerhourn in the mix. North Central (Ill.) is always a contender and will be led by Max Svienty.

Niagara Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 SUNY Geneseo

Next in Line: No. 2 NYU

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 SUNY Brockport, No. 4 RIT, No. 5 Rochester (N.Y.)

Notes: SUNY Geneseo is back in a big way with six of its seven runners returning from 2023, but will miss last year’s top runner Nick Andrews (graduation). NYU has a strong contingent returning in 2024 and welcomes several transfers from NCAA Division I programs.

North Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 UW-La Crosse

Next in Line: No. 2 UW-Whitewater

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 St. Olaf, No. 4 UW-Stout, No. 5 UW-Platteville

Notes: Depth is the name of the game in the North Region. You could see at least four programs ranked in the top-35 of the preseason National Coaches’ Poll – but first, we must get through the Regional Rankings. UW-La Crosse finished runner-up at the NCAA Championships in 2023 and welcome back several of those runners and have six athletes who were All-America during the 2024 outdoor season. UW-Whitewater returns its top-4 runners from last year, including its top-2 stars in Christian Patzka and Gunner Schlender. 

South Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Lynchburg

Next in Line: No. 2 Emory

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Washington & Lee, No. 4 Christopher Newport, No. 5 Berry

Notes: Lynchburg returns five of its top-7 athletes from last year, including Chasen Hunt and NCAA 1500-meter champion Sam Llaneza, who both finished top-5 at the regional meet last year. Emory welcomes back its entire top-7 from last year’s squad that finished third regionally, including two top-10 athletes in Scott Masterson and Marcus Cheema.

West Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Pomona-Pitzer

Next in Line: No. 2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 George Fox, No. 4 Colorado College, No. 5 UC Santa Cruz

Notes: Defending national champion Pomona-Pitzer is at the top of the West Region once again. While the Sagehens lost four of their top-7 runners from 2023, depth is never a concern with the perennial powerhouse. Both Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and George Fox welcome back five or more athletes from last year’s top-7 and are expected to test Pomona-Pitzer.