2024 NCAA DIII Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 4
NEW ORLEANS – There was plenty of movement after an action-packed weekend.
Nine teams moved up three places or more in Week 4 of the 2024 NCAA DIII Women’s Cross Country National Poll, which was released Wednesday by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association (USTFCCCA).
National Coaches’ polls are presented by AthleticNET.
NCAA Division III — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
MIT
MIT
2
Colorado College
Colorado College
3
Chicago
Chicago
4
Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins
5
Amherst
Amherst
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
MIT becomes the No. 1 team for the fifth time in program history after dominating the NCAA DIII Pre-National Invitational, winning with a team score of 56 points (UChicago was a distant runner-up with 145 points). The Engineers placed two runners in the top-10, with junior Kate Sanderson and junior Lexi Fernandez, placing third and tenth, respectively. The Engineers will defend their No. 1 ranking once before their conference meet. MIT heads to the Connecticut College Invitational on October 19, along with several other ranked teams.
Colorado College fell one spot to No. 2 to no fault of its own. The Tigers earned a perfect score of 15 points at the Ted Castaneda XC Classic. It was the first time Colorado College won the meet since 2008. The Tigers will head east to Illinois for the Augustana Invitational on October 19.
UChicago rounds out the top-3 for Week 4. The Maroons saw fifth-year Laura Baeyens take control in Terre Haute, Indiana, and place 17th in a packed field. Looking forward, UChicago will face Colorado College once again at the Augustana Invitational on October 19.
Johns Hopkins cracks into the top-5 for the first time this season at No. 4. The Blue Jays impressed with their 23rd place team finish in the Paul Short Women’s Gold Race, which featured many regionally ranked Division I teams. Johns Hopkins looks to finish out its regular season strong at the Rowan Inter-Regional Border Battle in Glassboro, New Jersey.
Amherst skyrockets to No. 5 after a dominant performance at the Paul Short Run over the weekend. The Mammoths were able to clinch the win in the women’s White Race, led by true freshman Flora Biro’s ninth place individual finish. Amherst will face MIT at the Connecticut College Invitational on October 19.
DePauw (No. 12) and Carnegie Mellon (No. 20) improved five or more spots in the Week 4 rankings. The Tigers, who earn their best ranking since 2008, placed a stunning third at the NCAA DIII Pre-National Invitational. The Tartans took eighth at the Paul Short Run, being one of 13 nationally ranked teams to traverse the course in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
The 2024 NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships are quickly approaching! Teams will converge on the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana, on November 23 to try and claim the national title or a podium finish.
