2024 NCAA DI Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 4

NEW ORLEANS – It’s moving week.

Here is the newest edition of the NCAA DI Men’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 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 November 15.

Great Lakes Region

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

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

Notes: Everything changed in the top-5 in Week 4. Each of the top-5 teams competed at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals and finished in that order. Wisconsin and Notre Dame were separated by just one point in sixth and seventh place, respectively.

Mid-Atlantic Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Villanova, No. 2 Georgetown

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Princeton, No. 4 Navy, No. 5 Pitt

Notes: Both Villanova and Georgetown leapfrogged Princeton between Week 3 and Week 4 following their head-to-head victories over the Tigers at the Princeton Fall Classic. The Wildcats captured the team title with 70 points, while the Hoyas finished runner-up with 87 points. Host Princeton ended up third with 92 points.

Midwest Region

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

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Missouri, No. 4 Tulsa, No. 5 Loyola-Chicago

Notes: Nothing changed about the top-2 teams, but the same couldn’t be said for Nos. 3-5. Both Missouri and Tulsa leapfrogged Loyola-Chicago between Week 3 and Week 4. The Tigers were runner-up at the Crimson Classic behind Alabama, while the Golden Hurricane topped the Ramblers head-to-head at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals. 

Mountain Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 BYU, No. 2 New Mexico

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Northern Arizona, No. 4 Utah State, No. 5 Wyoming

Notes: BYU, New Mexico and Northern Arizona continued to hold the top-3 spots, while Utah State and Wyoming improved to No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. The Aggies and the Cowboys had to be separated by a tiebreaker at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals.

Northeast Region

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

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Iona, No. 4 Cornell, No. 5 Yale

Notes: Syracuse, Harvard and Iona squared off at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals this past weekend and finished in that order. The Orange were eighth overall, while the Crimson took tenth and the Gaels were 17th. Cornell was a strong sixth at the Princeton Fall Classic.

South Region

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

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

Notes: Alabama continues to roll, notching a team victory at the Crimson Classic with 59 points thanks to a 1-2 finish by Dennis Kipruto and Victor Kiprop. Tennessee finished a close third with 63 points, losing out on a tiebreaker to Missouri. Ole Miss, Lipscomb and Auburn all raced at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals and finished in that order in the team standings.

South Central Region

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

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

Notes: Welcome to the AQ conversation, Tulane! The Green Wave finished 20th at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals this past weekend, notching a head-to-head victory over Texas and several top-30 programs. This is the best regional ranking in program history for Tulane.

Southeast Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Wake Forest, No. 2 North Carolina

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Virginia, No. 4 Furman, No. 5 Eastern Kentucky

Notes: We saw some intraregional racing this past weekend, as Wake Forest took on Virginia at the Panorama Farms Invitational, while Furman and Eastern Kentucky raced at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals. The Demon Deacons beat the Cavaliers in a hard-fought 38-47 battle. That led Virginia to jumping Eastern Kentucky and the Paladins followed suit after beating the Colonels head-to-head at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals.

West Region

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

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 California Baptist, No. 4 Oregon, No. 5 Gonzaga

Notes: Stanford cemented its spot atop the West Region with a third-place finish at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals this past weekend. Washington and California Baptist are still riding momentum from their success earlier in the season at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational and the Joe Piane Invitational, respectively.