2025 NCAA DI Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 1
NEW ORLEANS – With Cross Country now underway, it’s time for our first NCAA DI Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings of the 2025 season!
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 set for November 14. The top two teams from each region will automatically qualify for the 2025 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 22, in Columbia, Missouri.
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: Top teams handled their business over the first two weeks of the season. The Badgers and the Irish both turned in dominating performances at their respective meets. Wisconsin packed together at the Mizzou Opener and all ran 15:48, while the Irish put up a perfect score and went 1-8 at the Winrow-Valparasio Open.
Mid-Atlantic Region
Projected AQs: No. 1 Princeton, No. 2 Georgetown
Also in the hunt: No. 3 Villanova, No. 4 Navy, No. 5 Penn State
Notes: Nothing changed among the top-five teams. Penn State ran well at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational as it finished a clear runner-up to Syracuse.
Midwest Region
Protected AQs: No. 1 Iowa State, No. 2 Oklahoma State
Also in the hunt: No. 3 Tulsa, No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 5 Loyola-Chicago
Notes: Nothing changed among the top-four teams, but Loyola-Chicago swapped spots with Missouri and moved into the No. 5 spot. Notably, No. 4 Oklahoma went 1-2-3 at the Aggie Duals with Evans Biwott leading the charge in 23:30.7.
Mountain Region
Projected AQs: No. 1 New Mexico, No. 2 BYU
Also in the hunt: No. 3 Colorado, No. 4 NAU, No. 5 Air Force
Notes: Strong efforts kept everything similar in the top five of the Mountain Region. No. 2 BYU, No. 3 Colorado, and No. 4 NAU all cruised to resounding victory at meets with the Cougars and the Lumberjacks both putting up perfect 15-point scores.
Northeast Region
Projected AQs: No. 1 Syracuse, No. 2 Harvard
Also in the hunt: No. 3 Iona, No. 4 Cornell, No. 5 Boston College
Notes: Syracuse starred at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational with a routine 15-point score as Assaf Harari led the way with the individual title. Iona took fourth at the Br. Paddy Doyle Meet of Champions behind Princeton, Yale, and Columbia.
South Region
Projected AQs: No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Ole Miss
Also in the hunt: No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Georgia, No. 5 Lipscomb
Notes: Alabama showed its cards early and ran roughshod over the competition at the Southern Showcase. Led by a course record by Dismus Lokira, the Crimson Tide went 1-2-8-10-11 for 32 points and a near 100-point victory over Kentucky.
South Central Region
Projected AQs: No. 1 Arkansas, No. 2 Tulane
Also in the hunt: No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 Incarnate Word, No. 5 Texas
Notes: Nothing changed among the top-five teams since the preseason. No. 2 Tulane, No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 Incarnate Word, and No. 5 Texas all looked strong in victory.
Southeast Region
Projected AQs: No. 1 Virginia, No. 2 Wake Forest
Also in the hunt: No. 3 Eastern Kentucky, No. 4 North Carolina, No. 5 Furman
Notes: The top-three teams all made it look easy at their respective openers and North Carolina used an early season meet to work on its depth. No. 5 Furman posted perfect scores in back-to-back weeks, most recently at the Furman XC Invitational.
West Region
Projected AQs: No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 Oregon
Also in the hunt: No. 3 Washington State, No. 4 CBU, No. 5 Washington
Notes: Several top-five teams held out their strongest lineup, but Washington State showcased its strength at the WSU Cougar Classic. The Cougars saw Evans Kirui and transfer Solomon Kipchoge go 1-2 in 22:22.1 and 22:32.4, respectively.
