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 #3
Notre Dame1111
Michigan State3222
Wisconsin2333
Ohio6444
Toledo5775
Michigan4556
Cincinnati12887
Ohio State7668
Bowling Green1111109
Indiana910910
Miami (Ohio)13151311
Indiana State891412
Youngstown State13
Xavier14
Western Michigan131215
Butler101211
Central Michigan141415
Purdue15
Mid-Atlantic (NCAA DI)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3
West Virginia1221
Penn State3112
Villanova4653
Georgetown2334
Princeton5545
Penn6466
Pittsburgh7777
Maryland9888
Navy1099
Bucknell1291010
George Washington1411
La Salle812
Lehigh13101113
Delaware131414
Rutgers11121515
Monmouth151112
Towson13
Marshall15
Saint Joseph's14
Midwest (NCAA DI)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3
Oklahoma State1111
Iowa State3322
Northwestern4233
Missouri6544
Minnesota2455
Nebraska81066
Bradley7777
Oklahoma5688
North Dakota9899
Kansas State11111110
Tulsa10121011
South Dakota State1291312
North Dakota State151413
Illinois13131514
Iowa1215
Loyola-Chicago1414
Illinois State15
Mountain (NCAA DI)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3
BYU1111
New Mexico2222
Northern Arizona3333
Colorado5544
Utah4455
Utah State6766
Colorado State8877
Air Force9988
Utah Valley7699
Wyoming11111010
Weber State12121111
Montana State10101212
Idaho State13131313
New Mexico State15151414
Northern Colorado14141515
Northeast (NCAA DI)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3
Boston College2221
Providence1112
Syracuse4433
Connecticut5554
Harvard3345
Columbia6666
Army West Point8137
Quinnipiac1310108
Yale10779
Cornell129910
Brown11141211
UMass1112
Iona13
Boston University78814
Dartmouth9121415
New Hampshire13
Maine141115
Northeastern15
Stony Brook15
South (NCAA DI)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3
Florida2211
Alabama1122
Tennessee5533
Florida State4474
Mississippi State10645
Ole Miss6756
Lipscomb3367
Vanderbilt91188
Georgia1599
Georgia Tech781010
Kennesaw State1391111
Auburn8101212
Mercer121313
UCF131414
Jacksonville State141515
Miami (Fla.)15
Samford11
Middle Tennessee12
Belmont14
South Central (NCAA DI)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3
Tulane2211
Texas3442
Texas A&M4333
Arkansas1124
LSU5555
SMU6666
Stephen F. Austin1010107
Rice7778
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi8889
UT Arlington15141410
Central Arkansas99911
Houston12111112
Louisiana13121213
Arkansas State14131314
TCU151515
Baylor11
Southeast (NCAA DI)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3
NC State1111
Virginia3222
South Carolina5553
Clemson6674
Wake Forest4445
North Carolina2336
Duke9867
Louisville10788
Liberty81399
Furman7121010
Kentucky14151111
Elon13111412
Charlotte91213
Virginia Tech11101314
William & Mary15141515
High Point12
West (NCAA DI)
TeamPreseasonWeek #1Week #2Week #3
Oregon1111
Stanford2222
Gonzaga4453
Washington3334
Washington State5545
Boise State6666
Oregon State111077
California Baptist12788
San Francisco109109
Cal Poly88910
UCLA7121111
California13131312
UC San Diego14141413
UC Irvine1514
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
Tue 10/21
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