2025 NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 3

NEW ORLEANS – What happened at the Paul Short Run and the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational shook up the regional landscape.

Here is the newest edition of the 2025 NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings, which were released on Monday 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.

All of these teams have November 14, Regional Championships Friday, circled on their calendar as they hope to clinch one of the two automatic qualifier spots in their region. Those two qualifiers, along with at-large teams will take on the 2025 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 22, in Columbia, Missouri. 

Great Lakes Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 2 Michigan State

In the Hunt: No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 4 Ohio, No. 5 Toledo

Notes: Following a strong performance at the Joe Piane Invitational, Notre Dame retains their top spot this week. The Fighting Irish were led by Mary Bonner Dalton who ran 15:53 for the individual title. As a team, they averaged 16:06 for 5k, with a 20 second 1-5 spread, which was enough for 29 points as they cruised past rival Ohio, among others.   

Michigan State opted not to race this week, but we will see the second-ranked Spartans take on the Nuttycombe Invitational on Friday, Oct. 17. 

Mid-Atlantic Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 West Virginia, No. 2 Penn State

In the Hunt: No. 3 Villanova, No. 4 Georgetown, No. 5 Princeton

Notes: West Virginia returns to the top of the region, following a first-place finish at the Louisville Classic. The Mountaineers averaged 16:39 in Kentucky, scoring just 34 points, as they were powered by Joy Naukot’s second-place overall finish, where she ran 15:48 for 5k. 

Penn State falls a spot this week after Paul Short. Missing Florence Caron, their top runner, the Nittany Lions place second, narrowly behind Villanova, but ahead of Georgetown, Penn, and Princeton. Sophomore Ada Rand’s 15th place finish was the highest for any Penn State runner that day as they averaged 20:21 for 6k. 

Midwest Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Oklahoma State, No. 2 Iowa State

In the Hunt: No. 3 Northwestern, No. 4 Missouri, No. 5 Minnesota

Notes: It has been a quiet week in the Midwest with both of the top teams not racing. Both teams return on Oct. 17, with the Cowgirls racing at the Weis-Crockett Invitational in Stillwater, while the Cyclone will compete at the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison. 

Mountain Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 BYU, No. 2 New Mexico

In the Hunt: No. 3 Northern Arizona, No. 4 Colorado, No. 5 Utah

Notes: The Mountain Region was also quiet this week with all of the top five teams holding out. The BYU Cougars return to action on Oct. 18 at Pre-Nationals and the New Mexico Lobos race on Oct. 17 at the Nuttycombe Invitational. 

Northeast Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Boston College, No. 2 Providence

In the Hunt: No. 3 Syracuse, No. 4 Connecticut, No. 5 Harvard

Notes: Boston College leaps over Providence in the rankings this week following a head-to-head victory at Loyola Lakefront in Chicago this past weekend. The Eagles, led by Imogen Gardiner’s 16th place finish, averaged 20:28 for 6k and claimed fifth overall with 165 points. 

Providence was more competitive than their tenth-place finish shows as the Friars averaged 20:45 with a 1-5 spread of 55 seconds, five less than Boston College. Gabby Schmidt was their top finisher, running 20:19 for 26th place. 

South Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Alabama

In the Hunt: No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Florida State, No. 5 Mississippi State

Notes: The South Region was also silent this week with Florida opting not to run, coming off their team title at Gans Creek last week. Alabama still remains a mystery with reigning champion Doris Lemngole and Brenda Tuwei yet to race, as the Crimson Tide were idle this week. 

South Central Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Tulane, No. 2 Texas

In the Hunt: No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 Arkansas, No. 5 LSU

Notes: Tulane did not race this week, coming off a top-half finish at Gans Creek. Texas, on the other hand, jumps two spots this week into an auto-qualifier spot. The Longhorns defeated Arkansas in a head-to-head matchup at the Chile Pepper Festival where they claimed the team title by a margin of 52 points. They averaged 16:55 for 5k as Elizabeth Pickett led the way with a 16:15 run for third place. 

Southeast Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 NC State, No. 2 Virginia

In the Hunt: No. 3 South Carolina, No. 4 Clemson, No. 5 Wake Forest

Notes: NC State continues their charge this fall as they took home the team title at Loyola Lakefront this past weekend in Chicago. The Wolfpack scored 34 points as they were led by Hannah Gapes and Bethany Micahalak, who ran 19:19 and 19:34 respectively for a 1-2 finish. They placed four in the top ten and averaged 19:47 with a 1-5 spread of just 42 seconds. 

Virginia remains in second place as they did not compete this week. The Cavaliers return to action on Friday, Oct. 17 as they take on the Panorama Farms Invitational, at home in Charlottesville. 

West Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Stanford

In the Hunt: No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 4 Washington, No. 5 Washington State

Notes: The West Region’s best did not compete this week, but the Ducks return to action next week at the Bill Dellinger Invitational, while Stanford races again at the Nuttycombe Invitational on Oct. 17. 

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Presenting sponsor of USTFCCCA Polls and Rankings

NCAA Division I
Women's Cross Country
USTFCCCA Regional Coaches' Rankings

2025 Week #3 - October 6th

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.

Great Lakes Region -- Women

RANK TEAM
CONFERENCE
CHANGE
1notre-dameNOTRE DAME
ACC
 ◀▶
(LW: 1)
2michigan-stateMICHIGAN STATE
Big Ten
 ◀▶
(LW: 2)
3wisconsinWISCONSIN
Big Ten
 ◀▶
(LW: 3)
4ohioOHIO
Mid-American
 ◀▶
(LW: 4)
5toledoTOLEDO
Mid-American
 ▲2
(LW: 7)
6michiganMICHIGAN
Big Ten
 ▼1
(LW: 5)
7cincinnatiCINCINNATI
Big 12
 ▲1
(LW: 8)
8ohio-stateOHIO STATE
Big Ten
 ▼2
(LW: 6)
9bowling-greenBOWLING GREEN
Mid-American
 ▲1
(LW: 10)
10indianaINDIANA
Big Ten
 ▼1
(LW: 9)
11miami-ohioMIAMI (OHIO)
Mid-American
 ▲2
(LW: 13)
12indiana-stateINDIANA STATE
Missouri Valley
 ▲2
(LW: 14)
13youngstown-stateYOUNGSTOWN STATE
Horizon
 NR
14xavierXAVIER
Big East
 NR
15western-michiganWESTERN MICHIGAN
Mid-American
 ▼3
(LW: 12)

Mid-Atlantic Region -- Women

RANK TEAM
CONFERENCE
CHANGE
1west-virginiaWEST VIRGINIA
Big 12
 ▲1
(LW: 2)
2penn-statePENN STATE
Big Ten
 ▼1
(LW: 1)
3villanovaVILLANOVA
Big East
 ▲2
(LW: 5)
4georgetownGEORGETOWN
Big East
 ▼1
(LW: 3)
5princetonPRINCETON
Ivy League
 ▼1
(LW: 4)
6pennPENN
Ivy League
 ◀▶
(LW: 6)
7pittsburghPITTSBURGH
ACC
 ◀▶
(LW: 7)
8marylandMARYLAND
Big Ten
 ◀▶
(LW: 8)
9navyNAVY
Patriot
 ◀▶
(LW: 9)
10bucknellBUCKNELL
Patriot
 ◀▶
(LW: 10)
11george-washingtonGEORGE WASHINGTON
Atlantic 10
 NR
12la-salleLA SALLE
Atlantic 10
 NR
13lehighLEHIGH
Patriot
 ▼2
(LW: 11)
14delawareDELAWARE
Conference USA
 ◀▶
(LW: 14)
15rutgersRUTGERS
Big Ten
 ◀▶
(LW: 15)

Midwest Region -- Women

RANK TEAM
CONFERENCE
CHANGE
1oklahoma-stateOKLAHOMA STATE
Big 12
 ◀▶
(LW: 1)
2iowa-stateIOWA STATE
Big 12
 ◀▶
(LW: 2)
3northwesternNORTHWESTERN
Big Ten
 ◀▶
(LW: 3)
4missouriMISSOURI
SEC
 ◀▶
(LW: 4)
5minnesotaMINNESOTA
Big Ten
 ◀▶
(LW: 5)
6nebraskaNEBRASKA
Big Ten
 ◀▶
(LW: 6)
7bradleyBRADLEY
Missouri Valley
 ◀▶
(LW: 7)
8oklahomaOKLAHOMA
SEC
 ◀▶
(LW: 8)
9north-dakotaNORTH DAKOTA
Summit League
 ◀▶
(LW: 9)
10kansas-stateKANSAS STATE
Big 12
 ▲1
(LW: 11)
11tulsaTULSA
American
 ▼1
(LW: 10)
12south-dakota-stateSOUTH DAKOTA STATE
Summit League
 ▲1
(LW: 13)
13north-dakota-stateNORTH DAKOTA STATE
Summit League
 ▲1
(LW: 14)
14illinoisILLINOIS
Big Ten
 ▲1
(LW: 15)
15iowaIOWA
Big Ten
 ▼3
(LW: 12)

Mountain Region -- Women

RANK TEAM
CONFERENCE
CHANGE
1byuBYU
Big 12
 ◀▶
(LW: 1)
2new-mexicoNEW MEXICO
Mountain West
 ◀▶
(LW: 2)
3northern-arizonaNORTHERN ARIZONA
Big Sky
 ◀▶
(LW: 3)
4coloradoCOLORADO
Big 12
 ◀▶
(LW: 4)
5utahUTAH
Big 12
 ◀▶
(LW: 5)
6utah-stateUTAH STATE
Mountain West
 ◀▶
(LW: 6)
7colorado-stateCOLORADO STATE
Mountain West
 ◀▶
(LW: 7)
8air-forceAIR FORCE
Mountain West
 ◀▶
(LW: 8)
9utah-valleyUTAH VALLEY
WAC
 ◀▶
(LW: 9)
10wyomingWYOMING
Mountain West
 ◀▶
(LW: 10)
11weber-stateWEBER STATE
Big Sky
 ◀▶
(LW: 11)
12montana-stateMONTANA STATE
Big Sky
 ◀▶
(LW: 12)
13idaho-stateIDAHO STATE
Big Sky
 ◀▶
(LW: 13)
14new-mexico-stateNEW MEXICO STATE
Conference USA
 ◀▶
(LW: 14)
15northern-coloradoNORTHERN COLORADO
Big Sky
 ◀▶
(LW: 15)

Northeast Region -- Women

RANK TEAM
CONFERENCE
CHANGE
1boston-collegeBOSTON COLLEGE
ACC
 ▲1
(LW: 2)
2providencePROVIDENCE
Big East
 ▼1
(LW: 1)
3syracuseSYRACUSE
ACC
 ◀▶
(LW: 3)
4connecticutCONNECTICUT
Big East
 ▲1
(LW: 5)
5harvardHARVARD
Ivy League
 ▼1
(LW: 4)
6columbiaCOLUMBIA
Ivy League
 ◀▶
(LW: 6)
7army-west-pointARMY WEST POINT
Patriot
 NR
8quinnipiacQUINNIPIAC
Metro Atlantic
 ▲2
(LW: 10)
9yaleYALE
Ivy League
 ▼2
(LW: 7)
10cornellCORNELL
Ivy League
 ▼1
(LW: 9)
11brownBROWN
Ivy League
 ▲1
(LW: 12)
12umassUMASS
Mid-American
 ▼1
(LW: 11)
13ionaIONA
Metro Atlantic
 NR
14boston-universityBOSTON UNIVERSITY
Patriot
 ▼6
(LW: 8)
15dartmouthDARTMOUTH
Ivy League
 ▼1
(LW: 14)

South Region -- Women

RANK TEAM
CONFERENCE
CHANGE
1floridaFLORIDA
SEC
 ◀▶
(LW: 1)
2alabamaALABAMA
SEC
 ◀▶
(LW: 2)
3tennesseeTENNESSEE
SEC
 ◀▶
(LW: 3)
4florida-stateFLORIDA STATE
ACC
 ▲3
(LW: 7)
5mississippi-stateMISSISSIPPI STATE
SEC
 ▼1
(LW: 4)
6ole-missOLE MISS
SEC
 ▼1
(LW: 5)
7lipscombLIPSCOMB
ASUN
 ▼1
(LW: 6)
8vanderbiltVANDERBILT
SEC
 ◀▶
(LW: 8)
9georgiaGEORGIA
SEC
 ◀▶
(LW: 9)
10georgia-techGEORGIA TECH
ACC
 ◀▶
(LW: 10)
11kennesaw-stateKENNESAW STATE
Conference USA
 ◀▶
(LW: 11)
12auburnAUBURN
SEC
 ◀▶
(LW: 12)
13mercerMERCER
SoCon
 ◀▶
(LW: 13)
14ucfUCF
Big 12
 ◀▶
(LW: 14)
15jacksonville-stateJACKSONVILLE STATE
Conference USA
 ◀▶
(LW: 15)

South Central Region -- Women

RANK TEAM
CONFERENCE
CHANGE
1tulaneTULANE
American
 ◀▶
(LW: 1)
2texasTEXAS
SEC
 ▲2
(LW: 4)
3texas-amTEXAS A&M
SEC
 ◀▶
(LW: 3)
4arkansasARKANSAS
SEC
 ▼2
(LW: 2)
5lsuLSU
SEC
 ◀▶
(LW: 5)
6smuSMU
ACC
 ◀▶
(LW: 6)
7stephen-f-austinSTEPHEN F. AUSTIN
Southland
 ▲3
(LW: 10)
8riceRICE
American
 ▼1
(LW: 7)
9texas-am-corpus-christiTEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI
Southland
 ▼1
(LW: 8)
10ut-arlingtonUT ARLINGTON
WAC
 ▲4
(LW: 14)
11central-arkansasCENTRAL ARKANSAS
ASUN
 ▼2
(LW: 9)
12houstonHOUSTON
Big 12
 ▼1
(LW: 11)
13louisianaLOUISIANA
Sun Belt
 ▼1
(LW: 12)
14arkansas-stateARKANSAS STATE
Sun Belt
 ▼1
(LW: 13)
15tcuTCU
Big 12
 ◀▶
(LW: 15)

Southeast Region -- Women

RANK TEAM
CONFERENCE
CHANGE
1nc-stateNC STATE
ACC
 ◀▶
(LW: 1)
2virginiaVIRGINIA
ACC
 ◀▶
(LW: 2)
3south-carolinaSOUTH CAROLINA
SEC
 ▲2
(LW: 5)
4clemsonCLEMSON
ACC
 ▲3
(LW: 7)
5wake-forestWAKE FOREST
ACC
 ▼1
(LW: 4)
6north-carolinaNORTH CAROLINA
ACC
 ▼3
(LW: 3)
7dukeDUKE
ACC
 ▼1
(LW: 6)
8louisvilleLOUISVILLE
ACC
 ◀▶
(LW: 8)
9libertyLIBERTY
Conference USA
 ◀▶
(LW: 9)
10furmanFURMAN
SoCon
 ◀▶
(LW: 10)
11kentuckyKENTUCKY
SEC
 ◀▶
(LW: 11)
12elonELON
CAA
 ▲2
(LW: 14)
13charlotteCHARLOTTE
American
 ▼1
(LW: 12)
14virginia-techVIRGINIA TECH
ACC
 ▼1
(LW: 13)
15william-maryWILLIAM & MARY
CAA
 ◀▶
(LW: 15)

West Region -- Women

RANK TEAM
CONFERENCE
CHANGE
1oregonOREGON
Big Ten
 ◀▶
(LW: 1)
2stanfordSTANFORD
ACC
 ◀▶
(LW: 2)
3gonzagaGONZAGA
WCC
 ▲2
(LW: 5)
4washingtonWASHINGTON
Big Ten
 ▼1
(LW: 3)
5washington-stateWASHINGTON STATE
WCC
 ▼1
(LW: 4)
6boise-stateBOISE STATE
Mountain West
 ◀▶
(LW: 6)
7oregon-stateOREGON STATE
WCC
 ◀▶
(LW: 7)
8california-baptistCALIFORNIA BAPTIST
WAC
 ◀▶
(LW: 8)
9san-franciscoSAN FRANCISCO
WCC
 ▲1
(LW: 10)
10cal-polyCAL POLY
Big West
 ▼1
(LW: 9)
11uclaUCLA
Big Ten
 ◀▶
(LW: 11)
12californiaCALIFORNIA
ACC
 ▲1
(LW: 13)
13uc-san-diegoUC SAN DIEGO
Big West
 ▲1
(LW: 14)
14uc-irvineUC IRVINE
Big West
 ▲1
(LW: 15)
15sacramento-stateSACRAMENTO STATE
Big Sky
 NR


Week-by-Week Ranking

Great Lakes (NCAA DI)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3Week #4
Notre Dame11111
Wisconsin23332
Michigan State32223
Ohio64444
Toledo57755
Cincinnati128876
Bowling Green11111097
Michigan45568
Ohio State76689
Miami (Ohio)1315131110
Xavier1411
Indiana State89141212
Western Michigan13121513
Indiana91091014
Youngstown State1315
Butler101211
Central Michigan141415
Purdue15
Mid-Atlantic (NCAA DI)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3Week #4
West Virginia12211
Georgetown23342
Penn State31123
Villanova46534
Princeton55455
Penn64666
Pittsburgh77777
George Washington14118
Bucknell12910109
Navy109910
La Salle81211
Lehigh1310111312
Maryland988813
Delaware13141414
Rutgers1112151515
Monmouth151112
Towson13
Marshall15
Saint Joseph's14
Midwest (NCAA DI)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3Week #4
Iowa State33221
Northwestern42332
Oklahoma State11113
Missouri65444
Bradley77775
Minnesota24556
North Dakota98997
Oklahoma56888
Nebraska810669
Tulsa1012101110
Kansas State1111111011
Loyola-Chicago141412
South Dakota State129131213
North Dakota State15141314
Wichita State15
Illinois13131514
Iowa1215
Illinois State15
Mountain (NCAA DI)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3Week #4
BYU11111
New Mexico22222
Utah44553
Colorado55444
Northern Arizona33335
Colorado State88776
Utah State67667
Air Force99888
Utah Valley76999
Wyoming1111101010
Idaho State1313131311
Weber State1212111112
Texas Tech13
Montana State1010121214
New Mexico State1515141415
Northern Colorado14141515
Northeast (NCAA DI)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3Week #4
Boston College22211
Syracuse44332
Harvard33453
Providence11124
Yale107795
Connecticut55546
Army West Point81377
Quinnipiac13101088
Cornell1299109
Columbia666610
Brown1114121111
UMass111212
Boston University7881413
Dartmouth912141514
Iona1315
New Hampshire13
Maine141115
Northeastern15
Stony Brook15
South (NCAA DI)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3Week #4
Florida22111
Tennessee55332
Alabama11223
Florida State44744
Mississippi State106455
Ole Miss67566
Lipscomb33677
Vanderbilt911888
Georgia15999
Georgia Tech78101010
Kennesaw State139111111
Auburn810121212
Mercer12131313
UCF13141414
Jacksonville State14151515
Miami (Fla.)15
Samford11
Middle Tennessee12
Belmont14
South Central (NCAA DI)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3Week #4
Tulane22111
Arkansas11242
LSU55553
Texas34424
Texas A&M43335
SMU66666
Stephen F. Austin10101077
Rice77788
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi88899
Houston1211111210
UT Arlington1514141011
Baylor1112
TCU15151513
Texas State14
UTRGV15
Central Arkansas99911
Louisiana13121213
Arkansas State14131314
Southeast (NCAA DI)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3Week #4
NC State11111
Virginia32222
South Carolina55533
Wake Forest44454
Clemson66745
Duke98676
Virginia Tech111013147
North Carolina23368
Liberty813999
Kentucky1415111110
Elon1311141211
Louisville1078812
Furman712101013
High Point1214
Charlotte9121315
William & Mary15141515
West (NCAA DI)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3Week #4
Oregon11111
Stanford22222
Washington33343
Washington State55454
Gonzaga44535
California Baptist127886
Boise State66667
Oregon State1110778
Cal Poly889109
San Francisco10910910
UCLA712111111
UC San Diego1414141312
California1313131213
UC Irvine151414
UC Santa Barbara15
Sacramento State1515
Portland91112
UC Riverside15

USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Cross Country

2025 Rankings & Polls Calendar
Weeks Regional RankingsNational Coaches' Poll KEY DATES
PreseasonMon 8/25
MEN | WOMEN
Tue 8/26
MEN | WOMEN
Week 1Mon 9/15
MEN | WOMEN
Tue 9/16
MEN | WOMEN
Week 2Mon 9/29
MEN | WOMEN
Tue 9/30
MEN | WOMEN
Week 3Mon 10/6
MEN | WOMEN
Tue 10/7
MEN | WOMEN
Week 4Mon 10/20
MEN | WOMEN
Tue 10/21
MEN | WOMEN
Week 5Mon 11/3
Tue 11/4
Week 6Mon 11/17
Tue 11/18
FINAL Results
(official final ranking)
Sat 11/22
Sun 11/23