2024 NCAA DI Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 5

NEW ORLEANS – It’s almost time.

Here is the final 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). Conference Championships Weekend truly changed the complexion of the rankings between Week 4 and Week 5.

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 less than two weeks away on November 15. That’s when we’ll learn which two teams from each region will automatically qualify for the upcoming 2024 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 23, in Madison Wisconsin.

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 Michigan

Notes: Most of what happened at the Big Ten Championships shaped the rankings. Wisconsin rolled to the team title with 46 points, 12 fewer than both Oregon and Washington. Michigan State and Michigan finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Notre Dame took sixth in a loaded ACC meet, while Butler snagged runner-up honors at the BIG EAST Championships.

Mid-Atlantic Region

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

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Georgetown, No. 4 Navy, No. 5 Penn

Notes: Villanova held its spot from the previous week after winning the team title at the BIG EAST Championships with 35 points. Georgetown finished a distant third behind runner-up Butler with 70 points. Princeton took home another title at the Ivy League Championships thanks to putting all five scoring athletes in the top-15. Navy made it look easy at the Patriot League Championships with a miniscule 19 points.

Midwest Region

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

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Tulsa, No. 4 Missouri, No. 5 South Dakota State

Notes: Oklahoma State and Iowa State continue to headline the Midwest Region after finishing second and third, respectively, at the Big 12 Championships behind BYU. Tulsa lost the AAC title on a tiebreaker to Tulane, while Missouri was a game fifth at the SEC Championships. 

Mountain Region

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

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

Notes: Not much movement in the Mountain Region as top-ranked BYU and second-ranked New Mexico both showed why they are among the cream of the crop. The Cougars upset national No. 1 Oklahoma State at the Big 12 Championships, while the Lobos put up a perfect score at the Mountain West Conference Championships. Colorado State earned a 

Northeast Region

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

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Harvard, No. 4 Cornell, No. 5 UMass Amherst

Notes: Syracuse finished sixth at the ACC Championships in its new-look conference, while Iona continued its dominance of the MAAC. Harvard and Cornell went 2-3 at the Ivy League Championships behind Princeton. Both the Crimson and the Big Red put three runners in the top-10, but were undone by depth (Harvard went 1-4-9-12-36; Cornell went 6-7-10-26-27).

South Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Ole Miss

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Auburn, No. 5 North Florida

Notes: What happened at the SEC Championships shaped the rankings. Alabama finished runner-up to Arkansas, while Ole Miss took third with Auburn seventh. North Florida jumped three spots from No. 8 to No. 5 after a runner-up effort at the ASUN Championships.

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: Arkansas had been there before; Tulane hadn’t. The Razorbacks steamrolled the competition at the SEC Championships, while the Green Wave won the AAC crown on a tiebreaker against Tulsa. Texas was fourth at the SEC Championships with Texas A&M further back in eighth. Incarnate Word cruised to conference glory in the Southland Conference.

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: Nothing changed in the Southeast Region between Week 4 and Week 5, but the new-look ACC Championships made that so. The Demon Deacons took home the title, as they held off Stanford, 60-69. North Carolina finished third with Virginia fourth. Both Furman and Eastern Kentucky rolled to team titles at their respective conference meets

West Region

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

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

Notes: Both Stanford and Washington made strong first impressions at their respective new conference championships. The Cardinal finished runner-up to Wake Forest in the ACC, while the Huskies earned second over Oregon at the Big Ten Championships thanks to a tiebreaker. Both California Baptist and Portland won team titles at their respective championships.