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

NEW ORLEANS – Cross country is back!

Here is the preseason edition of the NCAA DII 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 Saturday, November 8.

Atlantic Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Charleston (W.Va.), No. 2 Shippensburg, No. 3 Davis & Elkins

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 East Stroudsburg, No. 5 Concord

Notes: The Golden Eagles dipped their toes into the international pool in preparation for the 2025 season, fielding an almost brand new starting seven. It’s up to returners, Corey Schobelock and Jules Geffroy-Remot, who finished 25th and 17th at the Regional Championships to show their new teammates how to win another Atlantic title. Shippensburg will be nipping at the heels of the preseason favorites, bringing back all but two of their regional roster. The Raiders will rely on Garrett Quinan and Tommy Crum Jr., PSAC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year and PSAC Men’s Cross Country Freshman of the Year, to guide the way. Davis & Elkins, East Stroudsburg, and Concord will look to play spoilers. 

Central Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 East Central (Okla.), No. 2 Northwest Missouri, No. 3 Washburn

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 Pittsburg State, No. 5 Missouri Western

Notes: East Central (Okla.) lost the heart and soul of its 2024 roster with the departure of four All-Region honorees. The Tigers responded quickly, adding a pair of All-American transfers and a freshman whose already run 24:30. The buzz around Northwest Missouri stems in part from Aziz Mohammed, the 2024 1500 meters National Champion, who decided to join the Bearcats this offseason. With three runners that can post top-15 Central Region marks, Northwest Missouri is shaping up to be a scary adversary. Don’t be fooled however, Washburn, Pittsburg State, and Missouri Western flaunt strong lineups of their own and can easily jump the standings.

East Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Southern Connecticut State, No. 2 Roberts Wesleyan, No. 3 Bentley

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 Assumption, No. 5 Adelphi

Notes: Will track times convert to the grass? That is the underlying question in the East Region. Defending champs Southern Connecticut State took a hit after graduation, but if the 2025 outdoor season is any indication as to how this fall will unfold, the Owls may just fly away with another title. Roberts Wesleyan felt a similar shake up to its nest, losing the 1-2-3 punch at the front but a few strong newcomers have the Red Hawks with their eyes keen on the prize. Bentley, Assumption, and Adelphi will have the difficult task of chasing down the birds, albeit with another year of experience under their belt.

Midwest Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Grand Valley State, No. 2 Saginaw Valley State, No. 3 Lewis

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 Michigan Tech, No. 5 Walsh

Notes: We can’t remember a time when the Lakers were out of title contention. We’re here to tell you that this year is no different. Despite returning just three members of its 2024 squad, Grand Valley State’s pipeline runs deep and it will take some digging to unseat the favorites. According to the rankings, Saginaw Valley State was given the best chance to do so, and for good reason too. The Cardinals have five of their starting seven back. Not to mention, they will be joined by Dom Suliman, their undisputed leader throughout the 2023 campaign. 

South Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Lee (Tenn.), No. 2 Alabama-Huntsville, No. 3 Mississippi College

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 Florida Southern, No. 5 Embry Riddle (Fla.)

Notes: Experience is hard to beat, and Lee (Tenn.) enters the season with a plethora. Six of the top-seven Flames from last year’s line-up are back in action and eager to build on an exciting spring. Luke Gaddis and Stephen Clark took home All-American honors in the steeplechase while Ryan Lovelace came within two places of a podium in the 1500 meters. Can they now burn a trail to the South Region title? The good news for Alabama-Huntsville is that they return five of their top-seven. The bad news for the Chargers is that the two departures leaves a hole at the front.

South Central Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Colo. School of Mines, No. 2 Adams State, No. 3 Western Colorado

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 West Texas A&M, No. 5 Colorado Christian

Notes: Imagine stating that the reigning national champions are in a better position than they were last year. Well, we are. Not only are the Orediggers more developed, they’re deeper than they were in 2024. Five cross country All-Americans, a steeplechase All-American, and two redshirt freshmen who ran 14:14 in the spring? That’s a recipe for success. Their Colorado counterparts, Adams State, has some gloating of its own to get to. An incredibly talented top-end with guys like Kidus Begashaw, who finished just outside the top-10 at the 2024 National Championships, mixed with a handful of potent transfers like Luca Madeo, NAIA national champion in the 5k and 10k, puts the Grizzlies within range. 

Southeast Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Wingate, No. 2 Anderson (S.C.), No. 3 Flagler

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 Augusta, No. 5 Catawba

Notes: Coming off of a sixth straight Southeast Regional victory, the Bulldogs don’t need to bark up a storm to prove they are the unanimous preseason favorites. Besides returning three of the top-six from last year’s clean sweep, Wingate recruited Mohamed Dahmouch, the 2024 NJCAA DI 1500 meter national champion. If anyone poses a threat to the juggernauts above, it’s Anderson (S.C.). The biggest thing going for the Trojans is experience, as their core seven remains untouched from last year. 

West Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Chico State, No. 2 Western Washington, No. 3 Cal Poly Pomona

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 Northwest Nazarene, No. 5 Biola (Calif.)

Notes: Who has the better top-3? The question that currently plagues the West Region. It’s hard not to give Chico State the upper hand this edition, as the Wildcats boast Mario Giannini, the 2024 West Region champion. Western Washington’s answer lies in Jared Alderfer, Jonah Billings, and Sten Brakstad. Can the Vikings carry their GNAC domination to the next level? October will have the answer.

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NCAA Division II
Men's Cross Country
USTFCCCA Regional Coaches' Rankings

2025 Preseason - September 2nd

About this Product
The USTFCCCA Regional Cross Country Coaches’ 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.

Atlantic Region -- Men

RANK TEAM
CONFERENCE
2024
FINAL
1charleston-w-vaCHARLESTON (W.VA.)
Mountain East (1)
 3
2shippensburgSHIPPENSBURG
PSAC (1)
 2
3davis-and-elkinsDAVIS AND ELKINS
Mountain East (2)
 1
4east-stroudsburgEAST STROUDSBURG
PSAC (2)
 7
5concordCONCORD
Mountain East (4)
 4
6slippery-rockSLIPPERY ROCK
PSAC (7)
 5
7kutztownKUTZTOWN
PSAC (3)
 9
8lock-havenLOCK HAVEN
PSAC (5)
 14
9indiana-paINDIANA (PA.)
PSAC (6)
 6
10west-virginia-wesleyanWEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN
Mountain East (3)
 10

Central Region -- Men

RANK TEAM
CONFERENCE
2024
FINAL
1east-central-oklaEAST CENTRAL (OKLA.)
GAC (1)
 1
2northwest-missouriNORTHWEST MISSOURI
MIAA (1)
 2
3washburnWASHBURN
MIAA (3)
 4
4pittsburg-statePITTSBURG STATE
MIAA (2)
 3
5missouri-westernMISSOURI WESTERN
MIAA (7)
 9
6augustana-s-dAUGUSTANA (S.D.)
NSIC (1)
 7
7neb-kearneyNEB.-KEARNEY
MIAA (5)
 5
8oklahoma-baptistOKLAHOMA BAPTIST
GAC (2)
 8
9msu-moorheadMSU MOORHEAD
NSIC (2)
 10
10hardingHARDING
GAC (3)
 6

East Region -- Men

RANK TEAM
CONFERENCE
2024
FINAL
1southern-connecticutSOUTHERN CONNECTICUT
Northeast-10 (1)
 1
2roberts-wesleyanROBERTS WESLEYAN
ECC (1)
 2
3bentleyBENTLEY
Northeast-10 (7)
 3
4assumptionASSUMPTION
Northeast-10 (5)
 5
5adelphiADELPHI
Northeast-10 (4)
 8
6saint-anselmSAINT ANSELM
Northeast-10 (8)
 12
7jefferson-paJEFFERSON (PA.)
CACC
 15
8saint-michaelsSAINT MICHAEL'S
Northeast-10 (3)
 10
9southern-new-hampshireSOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE
Northeast-10 (6)
 6
10wilmington-delWILMINGTON (DEL.)
CACC
 7

Midwest Region -- Men

RANK TEAM
CONFERENCE
2024
FINAL
1grand-valley-stateGRAND VALLEY STATE
GLIAC (1)
 1
2saginaw-valley-stateSAGINAW VALLEY STATE
GLIAC (2)
 4
3lewisLEWIS
GLVC (1)
 2
4michigan-techMICHIGAN TECH
GLIAC (3)
 3
5walshWALSH
G-MAC (1)
 7
6druryDRURY
GLVC (5)
 6
7illinois-springfieldILLINOIS-SPRINGFIELD
GLVC (2)
 9
8findlayFINDLAY
G-MAC (4)
 5
9tiffinTIFFIN
G-MAC (3)
 11
10maloneMALONE
G-MAC (7)
 13

South Region -- Men

RANK TEAM
CONFERENCE
2024
FINAL
1lee-tennLEE (TENN.)
GSC (1)
 1
2alabama-huntsvilleALABAMA-HUNTSVILLE
GSC (2)
 2
3mississippi-collegeMISSISSIPPI COLLEGE
GSC (3)
 3
4florida-southernFLORIDA SOUTHERN
Sunshine (1)
 4
5embry-riddle-flaEMBRY-RIDDLE (FLA.)
Sunshine (2)
 5
6tampaTAMPA
Sunshine (4)
 6
7palm-beach-atlanticPALM BEACH ATLANTIC
Sunshine (3)
 7
8auburn-montgomery-alaAUBURN MONTGOMERY (ALA.)
GSC (4)
 8
9florida-techFLORIDA TECH
Sunshine (5)
 9
10union-tennUNION (TENN.)
GSC (5)
 10

South Central Region -- Men

RANK TEAM
CONFERENCE
2024
FINAL
1colo-school-of-minesCOLO. SCHOOL OF MINES
RMAC (2)
 1
2adams-stateADAMS STATE
RMAC (1)
 2
3western-coloradoWESTERN COLORADO
RMAC (3)
 4
4west-texas-amWEST TEXAS A&M
Lone Star (1)
 3
5colorado-christianCOLORADO CHRISTIAN
RMAC (8)
 6
6uc-colorado-springsUC-COLORADO SPRINGS
RMAC (4)
 7
7fort-lewisFORT LEWIS
RMAC (5)
 8
8black-hills-stateBLACK HILLS STATE
RMAC (9)
 10
9csu-puebloCSU PUEBLO
RMAC (7)
 5
10colorado-mesaCOLORADO MESA
RMAC (11)
 12

Southeast Region -- Men

RANK TEAM
CONFERENCE
2024
FINAL
1wingateWINGATE
SAC (1)
 1
2anderson-s-cANDERSON (S.C.)
SAC (2)
 3
3flaglerFLAGLER
PBC (1)
 4
4augustaAUGUSTA
PBC (2)
 2
5catawbaCATAWBA
SAC (3)
 5
6unc-pembrokeUNC PEMBROKE
Conference Carolinas (1)
 6
7converseCONVERSE
Conference Carolinas (4)
 7
8lincoln-memorialLINCOLN MEMORIAL
SAC (4)
 8
9emory-henryEMORY & HENRY
SAC (6)
 9
10lees-mcraeLEES-MCRAE
Conference Carolinas (5)
 10

West Region -- Men

RANK TEAM
CONFERENCE
2024
FINAL
1chico-stateCHICO STATE
CCAA (1)
 1
2western-washingtonWESTERN WASHINGTON
GNAC (1)
 2
3cal-poly-pomonaCAL POLY POMONA
CCAA (2)
 4
4northwest-nazareneNORTHWEST NAZARENE
GNAC (3)
 7
5biola-califBIOLA (CALIF.)
PacWest (1)
 3
6stanislaus-stateSTANISLAUS STATE
CCAA (4)
 6
7cal-state-san-marcosCAL STATE SAN MARCOS
CCAA (3)
 13
8cuiCUI
PacWest (3)
 11
9fresno-pacificFRESNO PACIFIC
PacWest (2)
 16
10alaska-anchorageALASKA ANCHORAGE
GNAC (2)
 19
10alaskaALASKA
GNAC (2)
 19


Week-by-Week Ranking

Atlantic (NCAA DII)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3Week #4Week #5Week #6
Charleston (W.Va.)1111111
Shippensburg2223222
Davis and Elkins3332333
East Stroudsburg4744444
Kutztown7566555
West Chester677666
Fayetteville State89887
Lock Haven88778
West Virginia Wesleyan10999
Concord545510
Point Park (Pa.)101010
Slippery Rock689
West Liberty State910
Glenville State10
Indiana (Pa.)9
Central (NCAA DII)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3Week #4Week #5Week #6
Northwest Missouri2211111
Pittsburg State4422222
Washburn3333333
East Central (Okla.)1166444
Augustana (S.D.)6544555
Missouri Southern955776
Oklahoma Baptist87
Harding10109888
Neb.-Kearney7688669
Fort Hays State9109910
Missouri Western57771010
Minnesota State10
MSU Moorhead98
East (NCAA DII)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3Week #4Week #5Week #6
Southern Connecticut1211111
Roberts Wesleyan2122222
Franklin Pierce91010833
Saint Michael's8756344
Daemen95
Jefferson (Pa.)7644576
Wilmington (Del.)10565467
Adelphi58777108
Assumption4433689
Southern New Hampshire988910
Bentley3399105
Saint Anselm610
Midwest (NCAA DII)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3Week #4Week #5Week #6
Grand Valley State1111111
Saginaw Valley State2222222
Lewis3333333
Walsh5455544
Ashland86655
Tiffin9798966
Michigan Tech4544477
Findlay89788
Wayne State (Mich.)81091099
Illinois-Springfield766101010
Hillsdale78
Cedarville7
Missouri S&T10
Drury6
Malone10
South (NCAA DII)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3Week #4Week #5Week #6
Lee (Tenn.)1111111
Florida Southern4552222
Alabama-Huntsville2223333
Embry-Riddle (Fla.)5667644
Mississippi College3445775
Palm Beach Atlantic76566
Tampa6334457
Auburn Montgomery (Ala.)88888108
Union (Tenn.)107710109
Florida Tech9810
Nova Southeastern999
West Alabama99
West Florida1010
South Central (NCAA DII)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3Week #4Week #5Week #6
Adams State2222221
Colo. School of Mines1111112
Colorado Christian5333333
Western Colorado3444444
West Texas A&M4555555
UC-Colorado Springs6666666
Fort Lewis7777777
MSU Denver88
Dallas Baptist999999
UT Tyler1010101010
Colorado Mesa1010
Black Hills State88888
CSU Pueblo9
Southeast (NCAA DII)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3Week #4Week #5Week #6
Wingate1111111
Anderson (S.C.)2222222
Catawba5533333
Flagler3344444
Augusta4455555
UNC Pembroke6666666
Young Harris78887
Lincoln Memorial8877798
Southern Wesleyan (S.C.)10109
Georgia College10
Mars Hill7
Tusculum8101010
UVa-Wise99
Emory & Henry999
Converse7
Lees-McRae10
West (NCAA DII)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3Week #4Week #5Week #6
Chico State1111121
Western Washington2332212
Cal Poly Pomona3223333
Alaska Anchorage107754
Northwest Nazarene4554445
Biola (Calif.)5445576
Cal State San Marcos77766107
Fresno Pacific9998
Western Oregon10109869
CUI81010910
Azusa Pacific66898
Simon Fraser88
Stanislaus State6
Alaska10

USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Cross Country

2025 Rankings & Polls Calendar
Weeks Regional RankingsNational Coaches' Poll KEY DATES
PreseasonTue 9/2
MEN | WOMEN
Wed 9/3
MEN | WOMEN
Week 1Tue 9/16
MEN | WOMEN
Wed 9/17
MEN | WOMEN
Week 2Tue 9/23
MEN | WOMEN
Wed 9/24
MEN | WOMEN
Week 3Tue 9/30
MEN | WOMEN
Wed 10/1
MEN | WOMEN
Week 4Tue 10/7
MEN | WOMEN
Wed 10/8
MEN | WOMEN
Week 5Tue 10/14
MEN | WOMEN
Wed 10/15
MEN | WOMEN
Week 6Tue 10/28
MEN | WOMEN
Wed 10/29
MEN | WOMEN
Week 7Wed 11/12
Thu 11/13
FINAL Results
(official final ranking)
Sat 11/22
Sun 11/23