2025 NCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Preseason

NEW ORLEANS – It’s almost here.

Here is the preseason edition of the NCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings for the 2025 season, as released on Tuesday 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 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 15, which is where one team from each region will automatically qualify for the 2025 NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships.

East Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 MIT

Next in Line: No. 2 Tufts

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

Notes: Four-time defending regional champion MIT headlines the preseason rankings in 2025. Graduation might have hit the Engineers hard, but they return Renne Cooper and Yichen Sun, both of whom finished among the top-15 athletes last year. Jake Cobb took the next step for MIT during the track season, running a sub-nine minute steeple, while newcomer Sam Hansen is expected to contribute immediately.

Tufts, which sits second in the preseason rankings ahead of WPI, Bates, and Bowdoin, welcomes back six of its top-seven runners from 2024. Top returner Amo Aouchiche had a breakout 2024 campaign, earning All-America honors with his 35th-place finish.

Great Lakes Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Hope

Next in Line: No. 2 John Carroll

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Calvin, No. 4 Trine, No. 5 Mount Union

Notes: Hope springs eternal – and to the top of the regional rankings for the first time in program history. The Flying Dutch return six of its seven athletes from 2024, including All-American Ian Petruska and Carston Cole, among others. Hope expects big things from Michigan State transfer Aiden Moore, who drew a redshirt last year but is ready to compete in 2025.

John Carroll, which ranks second to begin the season ahead of Calvin, Trine, and Mount Union, will sport a different look in 2025. The Blue Streaks graduated five runners who were key to their success over a four-year period that saw them win three regional titles. Look for athletes like Nate Julien and Ian Paul to step up for JCU in 2025.

Metro Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Moravian

Next in Line: No. 2 Rowan

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Swarthmore, No. 4 TCNJ, No. 5 Haverford

Notes: Defending regional champion Moravian is projected to run it back in 2025. The top-ranked Greyhounds only return two athletes from their top seven last year, but see a high ceiling with how their runners performed on the track. Moravian also nabbed Temple transfer Cole Frank in the offseason. Frank has an 8k PR of 23:47 and ran 8:07 for the 3k on the track.

Rowan always finds itself in the mix and should be there in 2025. The Profs, who rank ahead of Swarthmore, TCNJ, and Haverford, should be led by Matt Conway and Colin Patterson.

Mid-Atlantic Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Johns Hopkins

Next in Line: No. 2 Carnegie Mellon

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Lebanon Valley, No. 4 Messiah, No. 5 Dickinson

Notes: Johns Hopkins is projected to win the regional title come November. The Blue Jays, who finished runner-up last year, welcome back six of seven runners from last year’s squad, namely star Emmanuel Leblond who finished sixth at the 2024 NCAA Championships. Four-time defending champion Carnegie Mellon could make life difficult for Johns Hopkins, but must replace six of its seven runners from last year’s team. Ryan Podnar and Matthew Short will be looked upon to lead the Tartans this season.

Lebanon Valley, Messiah, and Dickinson round out the top-five teams.

Mideast Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 RPI

Next in Line: No. 2 Williams

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Amherst, No. 4 Wesleyan (Conn.), No. 5 Middlebury

Notes: Defending champion RPI sits atop the preseason rankings. The Engineers, who romped to victory last year with 29 points, return three of their top-five runners, including Jack Loughery, Justin Cascio, and Tobin Durham, who finished fourth, sixth, and seventh, respectively on that championship team.

Williams returns six of its top-seven runners from last year’s runner-up team, namely Malcolm Oakes and Rick Yanashita. No. 3 Amherst, No. 4 Wesleyan (Conn.) and No. 5 Middlebury round out the top-five teams.

Midwest Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Wartburg

Next in Line: No. 2 North Central (Ill.)

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 UChicago, No. 4 Loras, No. 5 Washington (Mo.)

Notes: It will be a war of attrition in the Midwest Region once again and Wartburg is projected to come out on top. The Knights return three runners who earned All-America honors in 2024: Isaiah Hammerand (seventh), Jacob Green (15th), and Lance Sobaski (37th).

North Central (Ill.) sits second to begin the season ahead of UChicago, Loras, and Washington (Mo.). The Cardinals, who finished runner-up to Wartburg last year, have a squad bolstered by upperclassmen, namely seniors Kyle Nofziger and BJ Sorg. Oscar Frontjes is a sophomore, but stood out on the track in 2025 with PRs of 14:53.02 for 5k and 30:32.42 for 10k.

Niagara Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 SUNY Geneseo

Next in Line: No. 2 NYU

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Hamilton, No. 4 Rochester (N.Y.), No. 5 SUNY Brockport

Notes: SUNY Geneseo is expected to top the podium at the regional championships come November. The Knights, who finished runner-up last year to now-No. 2 NYU, return several talented runners, namely Empire 8 champion Ryan Hagan and Niagara Region fourth-place finisher Pierce Young. The defending champion Violets, who beat SUNY Geneseo by one point last year, welcome back three of their top-five athletes from 2024, headlined by third-place finisher Liam Hagerty (Hagerty also finished top-50 at the NCAA Championships).

No. 3 Hamilton, No. 4 Rochester (N.Y.) and No. 5 SUNY Brockport round out the top five teams.

North Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 UW-La Crosse

Next in Line: No. 2 St. Olaf

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 UW-Whitewater, No. 4 UW-Stevens Point, No. 5 UW-Platteville

Notes: UW-La Crosse is considered to be a class above the rest of the region. The defending regional and national champion Eagles welcome back six of their seven runners from last year, including four All-Americans: Grant Matthai (third), Aidan Matthai (fifth), Joey Sullivan (16th), and Jayden Zywicki (20th). UW-La Crosse also added several outstanding freshmen.

St. Olaf, led by 2024 All-American Kevin Turlington, is projected to make a run at the title, and sits above No. 3 UW-Whitewater, No. 4 UW-Stevens Point and No. 5 UW-Platteville.

South Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Washington & Lee

Next in Line: No. 2 Lynchburg

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Emory, No. 4 Pfeiffer, No. 5 Berry

Notes: Washington & Lee is ranked No. 1 for the first time in program history. The Generals, who were ranked as high as second just four time in the past four years, return six of seven runners from last year’s squad, including Keaton Rush and Robert Cooper.

2024 regional champion Lynchburg sits second and must find a way to restock the cupboard. The Hornets graduated a pair of track national champions in Sam Llaneza and Tor Hotung-Davidson, and saw record-holder Chasen Hunt transfer to NCAA DI North Carolina.

No. 3 Emory, No. 4 Pfieffer, and No. 5 Berry round out the top five teams.

West Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Pomona-Pitzer

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

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Colorado College, No. 4 UC Santa Cruz, No. 5 George Fox

Notes: Seven-time defending regional champion Pomona-Pitzer stars the year at No. 1 for the tenth time in the past 11 years. The Sagehens lost both Cameron Halter and Quinn White in the offseason, but welcome back three of their seven runners from last year and have excellent depth waiting in the wings. Transfer Amir Barkan should contribute immediately for them.

2024 runner-up Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is said to be deep this year, while No. 3 Colorado College, No. 4 UC Santa Cruz and No. 5 George Fox should make things interesting.