2025 NCAA DIII Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 2

NEW ORLEANS – Full-steam ahead for cross country.

Here is the newest edition of the NCAA DIII Women’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.

East Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 MIT

Next in Line: No. 2 Tufts

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Wellesley, No. 4 Bowdoin, No. 5 Suffolk (Mass.)

Notes: Wellesley made the biggest jump this week, improving two spots from No. 5 to No. 3. The Blue ran well at DIII Pre-Nats, finishing fourth as a team behind Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Vassar, and Case Western Reserve. MIT and Tufts held strong at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, after the former ran roughshod at the Cardinal Invitational and the latter took runner-up honors at the Purple Valley Classic hosted by Williams.

Great Lakes Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Trine

Next in Line: No. 2 Calvin

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 John Carroll, No. 4 Ohio Wesleyan, No. 5 Case Western Reserve

Notes: Trine cemented its spot atop the region thanks to a victory at the Rumble at the Fort. Calvin put forth a strong showing at the George Dales Invitational, where it finished ahead of regional foe Hope and several NCAA DI programs. John Carroll and Ohio Wesleyan finished in that order at the All-Ohio Championships and were separated by just one point.

Metro Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Swarthmore

Next in Line: No. 2 Rowan

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 TCNJ, No. 4 Stockton, No. 5 Moravian

Notes: Regional competition was on the menu this past weekend at the Osprey Open. Rowan, TCNJ, Stockton, and Moravan all squared off in Galloway, New Jersey, and finished in that order with the Profs capturing the team title with 43 points. Swarthmore opted to compete at the Main Line Invitational and was a fifth in a meet primarily comprised of NCAA DI programs.

Mid-Atlantic Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Johns Hopkins

Next in Line: No. 2 Carnegie Mellon

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Gettysburg, No. 4 Messiah, No. 5 Salisbury

Notes: Messiah ascended to the No. 4 spot this week after a victory at the Aggie Invitational. The Falcons flew to a 56-point win over Stevens thanks to a 1-2 finish by Ella Swayne and Delaney Turk. Messiah put four runners in the top ten and five in the top 15.

Mideast Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Williams

Next in Line: No. 2 Amherst

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Connecticut College, No. 4 Vassar, No. 5 RPI

Notes: Each of the top-five teams, which remained unchanged from the previous week, toed the start line this past weekend. Williams and RPI squared off at the Purple Valley Classic with the Ephs emerging victorious. Amherst rested many of its top runners at the Wesleyan Cardinal Invitational, while Connecticut College and Vassar fared well at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational and DIII-Pre Nats, respectively. 

Midwest Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 UChicago

Next in Line: No. 2 Washington (Mo.)

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Wartburg, No. 4 Central (Iowa), No. 5 Grinnell

Notes: UChicago dominated the Gil Dodds Invitational this past weekend, romping to victory with just 17 points thanks to a 1-2-3-4-7 finish. Katja Dunayevich led the way with an individual title. Washington (Mo.) took third at the John McNichols Invitational behind two NCAA DI teams.

Niagara Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 NYU

Next in Line: No. 2 SUNY Geneseo

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

Notes: What happened at the Yellowjacket Invitational shook up the rankings. SUNY Geneseo cruised to a routine victory at the meet, but Ithaca was a surprise runner-up, topping Rochester (N.Y.) and RIT, which propelled the Bombers from No. 8 to No. 3.

North Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Carleton

Next in Line: No. 2 UW-La Crosse

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 St. Olaf, No. 4 UW-Eau Claire, No. 5 UW-Whitewater

Notes: The top-four teams squared off this past weekend at the St. Olaf Invitational. Carleton emerged victorious with just 24 points as it put five runners in the top eight. UW-La Crosse was runner-up as its top-five runners all finished from ninth to 15th with an 11-second spread. Only five points separated St. Olaf from UW-Eau Claire in third and fourth place, respectively.

South Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Washington and Lee

Next in Line: No. 2 Emory

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Rhodes, No. 4 Christopher Newport, No. 5 Berry

Notes: Rhodes turned in the strongest performance of the weekend, as it took runner-up honors behind Arkansas State at its own invitational. The Lynx put three runners in the top ten with Anna Cantrell, Elena Gentry, and Nina Brown in third, fifth, and tenth, respectively. Cantrell and Gentry both finished within one second of each other in 18:29.9 and 18:30.7.

West Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps

Next in Line: No. 2 UC Santa Cruz

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Colorado College, No. 4 Pomona-Pitzer, No. 5 George Fox

Notes: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps made a statement at the DIII Pre-Nats. The Athenas steamrolled the field as they put six runners in the top nine and finished with a meager 1-5 spread of 24 seconds.