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

NEW ORLEANS – Forget everything you thought you knew!

Here is the Week 4 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 a team’s returning team 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

Notes: There were no changes to the top-5 teams, but all five squads went head-to-head at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals and finished in that order. 

Mid-Atlantic Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Georgetown, No. 2 West Virginia

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

Notes: No. 1 Georgetown took care of business, winning the Princeton Fall Classic over Villanova, 59-65. West Virginia surged to the No. 2 spot a after their fourth-place finish at Pre-Nationals. Led by senior Ceili McCabe’s fourth-place finish, the Mountaineers took down 14 programs that were ranked ahead of them in the Week 3 National Coaches’ Poll, including two ranked in the top-5. 

Penn State, Villanova, and Princeton fill out the top-5.

Midwest Region

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

Also in the hunt: No. 3 Northwestern, No. 4 Iowa State, No. 5 Oklahoma

Notes: There were no changes to the top-4 teams, but Oklahoma overtook Tulsa for the No. 5 spot after a sixth-place finish at the Arturo Barrios Invitational. As a team, the Sooners averaged 20:16 for 6k, while freshman Leah Jeruto finished runner-up in 19:00.1.

Mountain Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 BYU, No. 2 Northern Arizona

Also in the hunt: No. 3 Utah, No. 4 New Mexico, No. 5 Utah Valley

Notes: For the first time this season, BYU sits at the top of the Mountain Region after their dominant win at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals. The Cougars took down a championship-caliber field, fending off national powers Washington and Northern Arizona, 105-157-166. Senior Lexy Halladay-Lowry was the top finisher in ninth, running 19:33.4. In total, BYU had all seven athletes in the top-50, and were the only team to do so. The second-ranked Lumberjacks settled for third in Wisconsin, despite having four runners finish inside the top-35.

Utah, New Mexico, and Utah Valley round out the top-5.

Northeast Region

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

Also in the hunt: No. 3 Boston College, No. 4 Harvard, No. 5 Connecticut

There were no changes to the top-5 teams. 

South Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Florida State

Also in the hunt: No. 3 Florida, No. 4 Lipscomb, No. 5 Tennessee

Notes: A strong weekend of racing moved things around in the South Region, resulting in a new-look top-5. Alabama made a statement at the Crimson Classic, comfortably beating Missouri, 28-99. Doris Lemngole and Brenda Tuwei went 1-2 in 19:04.8 and 19:04.9, followed by four more Crimson Tide teammates in the top-15.

Florida State was the region’s top team in Wisconsin, finishing ninth ahead of Florida, Lipscomb, and Tennessee. 

South Central Region

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

Also in the hunt: No. 3 Arkansas, No. 4 Tulane, No. 5 SMU

Notes: Texas held firm at No. 1 for another week after beating Arkansas and Tulane head-to-head at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals. Longhorn senior Olivia Howell was the team’s top finisher, placing 32nd in 20:04.0. After falling out of the National Coaches’ Poll earlier this month, Texas made a statement in Wisconsin, taking down six nationally-ranked programs.

Arkansas, Tulane, and SMU round out the top-5.

Southeast Region

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

Also in the hunt: No. 3 Virginia, No. 4 Furman, No. 5 Liberty

Notes: While NC State held their place at No. 1, the rest of the top-5 looks different than it did in Week 3.

North Carolina moved back into the No. 2 spot after a few weeks at No. 3, thanks to their third-place finish at the Princeton Fall Classic. Brynn Brown led the way for the Tar Heels, finishing seventh overall in 19:42.8, her fastest 6k since her sophomore year.

Virginia stayed close to home over the weekend, winning the Panorama Farms Invitational over Virginia Tech, 17-70. Furman and Liberty round out the top-5.

West Region

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

Also in the hunt: No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 4 Oregon, No. 5 Washington State

Notes: There were no changes to the top-4 teams, but No. 1 Washington continued it’s dominance in the West Region, cruising past No. 2 Stanford at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals, 157-364. The Huskies put five runners inside the top-45, with junior Chloe Foerster leading the way again, this time in 19:50.6.

Both Gonzaga and Oregon stayed put at No. 3 and No. 4, while Washington State traded spots with Boise State after winning the Women’s B division in Wisconsin.