2024 NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 2

NEW ORLEANS – What a weekend!

Here is the Week 2 edition of the NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings for the 2024 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 team’s 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 Championship Friday is set for Friday, November 15.

Great Lakes Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 2 Wisconsin

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Michigan State, No. 4 Toledo, No. 5 Michigan

Note: While there were no changes to the top-4 teams, the Michigan Wolverines overtook Ohio State for the fifth spot in the region after successful back-to-back weekends.

At the John McNichols Invite in Terre Haute, Indiana, the Michigan women put seven runners in the top-10, and 11 inside the top-20, more than enough for an 80 point win over Indiana State. This last weekend at the Nuttycombe Invitational, they finished 19th out of 25 teams, beating both Iowa State (No. 30) and Portland (RV). 

Mid-Atlantic Region

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

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

Note: The top two teams in the region didn’t move, but after a breakthrough performance at the Nuttycombe Invitational, Sadie Sigfstead and the Villanova Wildcats jumped up three spots to No. 3. Sigfstead took home the individual title, running 19:55.7 for 6k, while Villanova finished 13th as a team. In the process, the ‘Cats beat four nationally-ranked teams. 

Pittsburgh fell back to No. 7 in the region, while Princeton moved back a spot to No. 4, and Penn stayed put at No. 5.

Midwest Region

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

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Iowa State, No. 4 Minnesota, No. 5 Tulsa

Note: At the Cowboy Jamboree, the Oklahoma State women finished runner-up to New Mexico, as the Cowgirls put all five scoring runners inside the top-15. Freshman Victoria Lagat led the way for Dave Smith’s crew, finishing third in 20:37.2 over the 6k course. Northwestern moved back a spot to No. 2 after finishing 18th at the Nuttycombe Invitational. 

Iowa State, Minnesota, and Bradley round out the top-5 teams for the third-straight set of rankings.

Mountain Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Northern Arizona, No. 2 Brigham Young

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Utah, No. 4 New Mexico, 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 Boston College, No. 4 Harvard, No. 5 Connecticut

Note: Syracuse swapped places with Boston College after taking them down head-to-head at the Nuttycombe Invitational. Savannah Roark paced the Orange in 22nd place. 

Providence kept their place at No. 1 following their fourth-place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational. 

South Region

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

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

Note: There were minimal changes to the top-5 teams, with the only movement coming from Ole Miss, who moved up to No. 4 ahead of Lipscomb. The Rebels had a great day at the Gans Creek Classic, taking third behind Stanford and Tennessee, and ahead of Florida. Senior Loral Winn was key in their podium finish, taking fourth overall in 19:56 for 6k.

The Gators managed to put their first four runners in the top-13 spots, but the 70 second gap between their fourth and fifth runner left the door open for Ole Miss.

South Central Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Texas, No. 2 LSU

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

Note: As the only region with an entire new-look top-5, it was a busy weekend for teams throughout the South Central Region. After finishing 1-2 at the Chile Pepper XC Festival, both Texas and LSU moved up into the top-two spots in the region, overtaking Arkansas who was third in Fayetteville. 

The Longhorns took down the 27-team field with ease, beating LSU and Arkansas, 42-75-88. Led by senior Olivia Howell, who finished third, Texas put first five runners in the top-16, and nine in the top-35. LSU had a quartet of women in the top-15, but Texas’ depth proved victorious in the end.

The previously top-ranked Razorbacks fell to third, while SMU and Texas A&M filled out the top-5.

Southeast Region

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

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 North Carolina, No. 4 Virgina, No. 5 Clemson

Note: The Furman women were one of the biggest movers of the weekend, as they made a statement with their sixth-place team finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational. Carly Wilkes paced the Paladins up front with a ninth-place finish, the first of four Paladins in the top-50. They beat ten nationally-ranked programs, including No. 4 Oregon.

North Carolina, Virginia and Clemson round out the top-5 team, all dropping back a spot.

West Region

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

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 4 Oregon, No. 6 Boise State

Note: Dominant team performances from both Washington and Stanford caused quite a bit of chaos in the West region, as both squads surged past Oregon for the top spots in the region.

Washington established themselves as national contenders on Friday, winning the Nuttycombe Invitational over Utah by 29 points. Junior  Maeve Stiles led the way with an eighth-place finish while the Huskies put five runners in the top-35 spots, leaving nothing to chance. 

The Stanford women made a statement of their own, winning the Gans Creek Classic over a contingent of SEC programs, taking down Tennessee 44-92. The Cardinal took held off the No. 6, No. 9, and No. 26 teams quite comfortably. Gonzaga moved past Oregon as well into the No. 3 spot, while the Ducks fell all the way back to No. 4.

Boise State took Portland’s spot at No. 5.

Maxx Bradley is a freelance writer with a deep passion for track and field and cross country. Over the past few years, he has dedicated himself to covering the sport he has loved since middle school, contributing to both FloTrack and MileSplit. Additionally, Maxx writes The Lead Pack, a newsletter focused on the sport throughout Kansas. He resides in the KC Metro area and works as a Communications Specialist at Baker University.