2024 NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 2
NEW ORLEANS – Another week of racing, another week of upsets.
Over the course of the first big weekend of the season, the bulk of contenders finally showed most of their cards, resulting in big changes to the Week 2 edition of the 2024 NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, which was released on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
NCAA Division I — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
NC State
NC State
1
Northern Arizona
Northern Arizona
3
Notre Dame
Notre Dame
4
Washington
Washington
5
BYU
BYU
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Following a busy slate of racing that included both the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational and the Gans Creek Classic, only two teams reside in the same spot they did two weeks ago. That’s in the entire top-30, not just the top-10.
We’re back to a deadlock at the top of the rankings between three-time defending champion NC State and Northern Arizona. The Wolfpack, who received six first-place votes, opened their season with a closer-than-expected win over Clemson at the adidas XC Challenge (NC State prevailed 34-51). The Lumberjacks, who hauled in four first-place votes, threw down a statement win at the Dave Murray Invitational without Elise Stearns in the lineup.
Notre Dame held steady at No. 3 and received the lone remaining first-place vote. The Irish tuned up for the Joe Piane Invitational this weekend with a routine victory at the National Catholic Invitational. The first nine runners to cross the finish line donned the blue and gold.
Washington bulldozed its way to No. 4 after its impressive win at the Nuttycombe Invitational. Even without some of their biggest stars toeing the line, the Huskies were the lone program with all five scored runners in the top-35. Maeve Stiles led the way in eighth place for UW.
The rest of the top-10 looks vastly different than it did two weeks ago: Utah sits No. 6 behind fifth-ranked BYU following its runner-up finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational; Stanford jumped a single spot to No. 7 thanks to a stifling win over a contingent of ranked programs at the Gans Creek Classic.
Georgetown, Providence and Wisconsin come in at No. 8, No. 9 and No. 10, respectively, after finishing third, fourth and fifth in Wisconsin.
The mighty Paladins of Furman went from receiving votes to No. 13 thanks to an eye-opening sixth-place finish in the Badger State, while Penn State improved eight spots to No. 21 by virtue of its own performance in Wisconsin. Both Villanova and Texas found themselves in the top-30 in Week 2 at No. 26 and No. 29, respectively, after being unranked in Week 1.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 23, because that’s when the 2024 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships will be held at the Zimmer championship Course in Madison, Wisconsin.
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.
