2025 NCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 3

NEW ORLEANS – Get a good look at these rankings, things are sure to switch-up from here on out!

Here is the official third week 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 Tufts

Next in Line: No. 2 MIT

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

Notes: Intraregional competition is on the docket this upcoming weekend. Top-ranked Tufts and fifth-ranked Colby square off at the Keene State Invitational, while second-ranked MIT, third-ranked WPI and fourth-ranked Bates head to the Paul Short Run.

GREAT LAKES REGION

Projected AQ: No. 1 Hope

Next in Line: No. 2 Case Western

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Otterbein, No. 4 Mount Union, No. 5 John Carroll

Notes: Hope held steady atop the Great Lakes region and all other teams follow suit in their order from last week’s rankings. This comes as all five teams did not compete this past weekend. The regional favorite Flying Dutch look to compete at the Blugold Invitational in Colfax, Wisconsin, against many others of Division III’s finest.

METRO REGION

Projected AQ: No. 1 TCNJ

Next in Line: No. 2 Moravian

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

Notes: TCNJ remains at the top position as it was a quiet week in the Metro Region. Amongst the top-five teams, TCNJ was the only team to compete and they did so without their top twelve men at the Don Cathcart Invite. Moravian, Swarthmore, Haverford, and Rowan maintain their order in the Metro Region as all teams did not compete as they are gearing up, along with TCNJ, for the Paul Short Invitational.

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 Dickinson, No. 5 Messiah

Notes: Johns Hopkins holds the region’s top honors thus far as they stay on top of the Mid-Atlantic and did not compete this past weekend. Carnegie Mellon also remains at the second position as there was no competition and they look to compete against Johns Hopkins at the Paul Short Run. 

Lebanon Valley holds their third spot in the region as they were led by Rory Lieberman at the Lock Haven Invite in an impressive 24:19. Dickinson holds the fourth position after competing at the Dickinson Long-Short 4k and will compete at the Paul Short Run. Messiah rounds out the top five as they also competed at Dickinson’s meet.

MIDEAST REGION

Projected AQ: No. 1 Williams

Next in Line: No. 2 RPI

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

Notes: The Ephs of Williams remain as the Mideast favorites as they did not compete this weekend, but look to compete at the Keene State Invitational against nationally ranked Tufts and Amherst. RPI resides in the second position along with Wesleyan in third, Amherst in fourth, and Middlebury in fifth. Many of these teams look to compete at the upcoming Paul Short Run.

MIDWEST REGION

Projected AQ: No. 1 Wartburg

Next in Line: No. 2 North Central

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

Notes: Powerhouse teams such as Wartburg and North Central (Ill.) both stay still this week as they claim the first and second regional rankings since they opted not to compete. UChicago also stays at the third position in the rankings as they did not compete as well. Washington (Mo.) holds the fourth spot after competing at the Gans Creek Classic. The Bears put on an impressive performance as they averaged only 16 seconds for their spread. Loras stayed ranked fifth as they did not compete.

NIAGARA REGION

Projected AQ: No. 1 SUNY Geneseo

Next in Line: No. 2 NYU

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

Notes: The Knights of SUNY Geneseo competed at the Harry F. Anderson Invitational without their top two men, Anson Butler and Pierce Young, and had the rest of their top finishers run as a team and close hard. SUNY Geneseo looks to hold the top spot for the past month of rankings. NYU remains in the second position in the rankings and looks to compete at the Paul Short Run. RIT, Rochester (N.Y.) and Hamilton stayed at their previous rankings as RIT was the only team out of the three to compete at the Harry F. Anderson Invite.

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 continues to hold the top spot in the region and look ahead to compete in Notre Dame’s Joe Piane Invitational in South Bend, Indiana. The Eagles did not compete this past weekend. St. Olaf, UW-Whitewater, UW-Stevens Point, and UW-Platteville round out the rest of the North Region as they all did not compete and look to travel to Colfax, Wisconsin, for the highly anticipated Blugold Invitational. 

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 Roanoke

Notes: Washington & Lee competed at the Hornet Harrier meet with their B Team. All things considered, the Generals will continue to claim their top ranking in the South Region. Lynchburg, Emory, Pfeiffer, and Roanoke did not race this weekend as all four teams, along with Washington & Lee, will compete at the Paul Short Run.

WEST REGION

Projected AQ: No. 1 Pomona-Pitzer

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

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

Notes: The Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer beat Claremont-Mudd-Scripps head to head at the UC-Riverside Invitational. Pomona-Pitzer, led by Jack Stein, beat CMS by nine points. UC Santa Cruz improved one spot after a sterling effort at the UC-Riverside Invitational.

Colorado College and George Fox round out the top-five teams.