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

NEW ORLEANS – This past weekend was pivotal for the cross country season. 

Here is the Week 4 edition of the NCAA DIII Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings for the 2024 season, as released on Tuesday by the U.S. Track and 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 Saturday is set for November 16. 

EAST REGION

Projected AQ: No. 1 MIT

Next in Line: No. 2 Tufts

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Bates, No. 4 Bowdoin, No. 5 Suffolk

Notes: MIT shined bright at the NCAA DIII Pre-National Invitational, dominating the field with a winning team score of 56 points. The Engineers bested UChicago, who was ranked No.2 nationally in Week 3. Bates and Bowdoin battled at the Bates Invitational, with Bates coming out on top winning the team title 38-54. Suffolk vaulted back into the top-5 after placing 15th at the NCAA DIII Pre-National Invitational Meet. 

GREAT LAKES REGION

Projected AQ: No. 1 Calvin 

Next in Line: No. 2 DePauw

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 John Carroll, No. 4 Trine, No. 5 Ohio Wesleyan 

Notes: There were no changes to the top-5 in Week 4. DePauw had a strong showing at NCAA DIII Pre-National Invitational, finishing third. Trine also ran at NCAA DIII Pre-National Invitational, finishing 12th as a team. John Carroll was one of 13 nationally ranked teams to race at Lehigh’s Paul Short Run, coming in 14th out of 46 teams. 

METRO REGION

Projected AQ: No. 1 Swarthmore 

Next in Line: No. 2 Rowan 

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 TCNJ, No. 4 Widener, No. 5 Moravian 

Notes: Swarthmore skyrockets into the No. 1 position after an impressive 17th place finish at the Paul Short Run. The Phoenixes were led by true freshman Elizabeth Page’s 49th place individual finish over the 6k course. Rowan, TCNJ, Widener, and Moravian also raced at the Paul Short Run. Rowan would finish 22nd, TCNJ would finish 27th, Widener would finish 31st, and Moravian would finish 32nd respectively. 

MID-ATLANTIC REGION 

Projected AQ: No. 1 Johns Hopkins 

Next in Line: No. 2 Carnegie Mellon 

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Gettysburg, No. 4 Grove City, No. 5 Dickinson 

Notes: Johns Hopkins placed 23rd in the Paul Short Run Gold Race, beating many Division I teams. They were the only Division III team in the field. Grove City leaps into the top-5 after an impressive 16th place team finish at the Paul Short Run. 

MIDEAST REGION

Projected AQ: No. 1 Amherst 

Next in Line: No. 2 RPI 

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Williams, No. 4 Middlebury, No. 5 Connecticut College 

Notes: Amherst stepped up at the Paul Short Run over the weekend. The Mammoths controlled the women’s White Race, coming in first with a score of 135. RPI was the only non-nationally ranked team to place in the top-10 at the Paul Short Run, garnering a fourth place finish. The Engineers were led by true freshman Jules Bleskoski, who won the White Race in a blazing time of 20:42 for the 6k race. Middlebury placed seventh in the same race, while Connecticut College placed fifth in Terre Haute, Indiana at the NCAA DIII Pre-National Invitational Meet. 

MIDWEST REGION 

Projected AQ: No. 1 UChicago 

Next in Line: No. 2 Washington (Mo.) 

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Wartburg, No. 4 Central (Iowa), No. 5 Wheaton 

Notes: UChicago had a strong outing at the NCAA DIII Pre-National Invitational Meet, finishing runner-up behind MIT. Washington (Mo.) finished fourth in the same race, with Central (Iowa) not far behind in 14th place. Wheaton moves into fifth place for Week 4. 

NIAGARA REGION

Projected AQ: No. 1 NYU 

Next in Line: No. 2 SUNY Geneseo 

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Hamilton, No. 4 Rochester, No. 5 Ithaca 

Notes: NYU was able to move from eighth to third place in the second half of the White Race at the Paul Short Run. The Violets were led by junior Janie Cooper’s tenth place finish. SUNY Geneseo raced at the Paul Short Run as well, finishing in fifth place. Rochester and Ithaca battled at the Kara Hall Memorial Invitational. The Yellowjackets would reign victorious with a score of 51 points. 

NORTH REGION 

Projected AQ: No. 1 Carleton 

Next in Line: No. 2 UW-La Crosse 

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 St. Olaf, No. 4 UW-Eau Claire, No. 5 UW-Whitewater 

Notes: Carleton and St. Olaf would face each other at the Carleton Running of the Cows. Carleton would win the team title, with St. Olaf finishing in fourth. UW-Whitewater jumps into the top-5 after a solid tenth place finish at the NCAA DIII Pre-National Invitational Meet. 

SOUTH REGION 

Projected AQ: No. 1 Emory 

Next in Line: No. 2 Lynchburg 

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Washington and Lee, No. 4 Bridgewater, No. 5 Shenandoah 

Notes: Emory had a superb weekend at the Paul Short Run. The Eagles would finish runner-up, led by senior Brigid Hanley’s sixth place finish, crossing the finish line in a time of 21:11. Lynchburg, Washington and Lee, Bridgewater, and Shenandoah all raced at the Paul Short Run as well, with Lynchburg placing in the top-10 and Washington and Lee placing in the top-15. 

WEST REGION 

Projected AQ: No. 1 Colorado College 

Next in Line: No. 2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Pomona-Pitzer, No. 4 UC-Santa Cruz, No. 5 George Fox 

Notes: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps traveled across the country to race at the Paul Short Run, and it paid off. The Athenas placed an impressive sixth place in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Pomona-Pitzer, UC-Santa Cruz, and George Fox would battle it out at the NCAA DIII Pre-National Invitational Meet. Pomona-Pitzer narrowly edged out UC-Santa Cruz for sixth place, with George Fox not far behind the two teams placing ninth.

Gwyneth Young is a junior studying criminal justice and communications at Elizabethtown College. She is a distance runner on the Blue Jays cross country and track and field teams, where her main events are the 1500 and the 5000. She is originally from Lebanon, Pennsylvania and graduated from Cedar Crest High School, where she ran cross country and track and field as well.