2025 NCAA DII Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 6

NEW ORLEANS – Here is the latest edition of the NCAA DII Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings for the 2025 season, which are released every Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Conference Championships Weekend shook up the Regional Rankings with many truly astonishing performances, and captivating title races.

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 Davis & Elkins, No. 2 East Stroudsburg, No. 3 Edinboro

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 Bloomsburg, No. 5 Point Park

Notes: No. 1 Davis & Elkins claimed the Mountain East Conference title to retain its spot at the top of the Atlantic Region. The Senators scored 32 points by placing all five of their scorers in the top 11 to hoist the conference trophy. Davis & Elkins’ dominant performance was led by two upperclassmen, Lauren Twyman (individual runner-up) and Lydia Falkenstein (fourth). Point Park jumped to fifth position in the Regional Rankings after a runner-up finish at MEC’s in its second season as an Division II program. Point Park’s Cassondra O’Connor was crowned the Mountain East Conference individual champion, winning by 17 seconds.

The PSAC Championships were thrilling with a tie breaker handing the win to second ranked East Stroudsburg over third ranked Edinboro (77-77). The Warriors placed three runners in the top 15, with their top two scorers coming fourth and sixth respectively. East Stroudsburg won the tie breaker against the Fightin Scots 3-2. Payton Falkenstein, Sarah Williams, and Kiera Wimbush efforts were crucial to the Warriors’ win. Bloomsburg rose to fourth ranked after a third place finish at PSAC Championships. They had an incredible low stick in freshman Olivia Maganga’s individual runner-up finish in 22:22.6. West Chester finished fourth at PSAC Championships to rank sixth regionally for its first top ten ranking this season.

Central Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Winona State, No. 2 Pittsburg State, No. 3 Rogers State

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney, No. 5 Minnesota State

Notes: Winona State won the NSIC Championship title convincingly, scoring 28 points with strong pack running that steered all scorers to finish in the top ten. Sophia Taarud, Winona State’s first runner, was the individual champion in a commanding time of 21:19.6. She was 32 seconds ahead of runner-up Minnesota State’s Ashley Overgaauw. After the Mavericks’ second place team finish they have risen to fifth in the region.

The Central Region saw another highly contested race for the MIAA Championship title. No. 2 Pittsburg State emerged victorious by one point over No. 3 Rogers State, 55-56 to claim its fourth straight MIAA title. The Gorillas had a strong 1-2-3 punch with three runners in the top six, while the Hillcats had their second to fifth runners packed up from tenth-16th. Nebraska-Kearney is ranked fourth after a third place finish at MIAA Championships.  

East Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Roberts Wesleyan, No. 2 Southern Connecticut State, No. 3 Jefferson (Pa.)

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 Bentley, No. 5 Molloy

Notes: No 1. Roberts Wesleyan took the East Coast Conference title after scoring only 20 points. The Redhawks performance was headlined by a deep front running pack that placed four runners in the top five. Roberts Wesleyan’s Rachel Horner-Richardson was the ECC individual winner in a time of 18:43.9, closely followed by her teammate Paige Reeser. No. 5 Molloy defeated D’Youville, and Daemen with a second place finish at ECCs to rise four places in the East region.

In the Northeast-10 conference No. 2 Southern Connecticut State claimed the title to retain its regional ranking. The Fighting Owls had a key low-stick in Northeast-10 individual winner Courtney Henchcliffe. They exhibited strong front running with four scorers in the top ten. No. 4 Bentley was runner-up in this conference with 86 points, which was rewarded with a three place rise in its ranking.

Jefferson (Pa.) won the CACC Championship with a perfect score, and average time of 20:12. The Rams claimed both the team and the individual title thanks to a strong effort by freshman Olivia Grahn.

Midwest Region

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

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

Notes: The key contenders and teams in the hunt were steady after conference championships the past weekend. No. 1 Grand Valley State University and No. 4 Northern Michigan both competed at the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). GVSU swept the title with a perfect score in an average time of 20:37. The Lakers exhibited a strong pack with its sixth runner coming in sixth, and its seventh runner in ninth. Last year’s NCAA Cross Country individual champion Lauren Kiley won the meet in a time of 20:18.2. Northern Michigan was runner-up at the GLIAC Championship with an average time of 21:45, scoring 80 points.

At GMAC Championships, Cedarville took the crown with 27 points, an average time of 21:28, and all of its five top runners were in the top eight. Junior Emily Walsh steered the way for the Yellow Jackets to win with a third place individual finish. No. 5 Walsh were second as a team with a score of 67 points. The Cavaliers had a key low stick in individual runner-up, Claire Rethman.

No. 3 Lewis won its fourth consecutive GLVC Championship with 40 points. The Flyers had a 58 second gap between their first and fifth runners with an average time of 22:01. Mary Edwards, and Josephine Bober finished second and third overall for Lewis.

South Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Tampa, No. 2 Mississippi College, No. 3 Lee (Tenn.)

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 Palm Beach Atlantic, No. 5 Nova Southeastern

Notes: The South Region saw some slight shifts after conference performances. No. 1 Tampa secured the Sunshine State Conference title narrowly over No. 4 Palm Beach Atlantic, and No. 5 Nova Southeastern, 39-41-57. Tampa had the individual runner-up in Lindsey Volkman, and placed all five of its scorers in the top twelve to retain the SSC title for the first time since 2023. Palm Beach Atlantic created a tough challenge for the title with a key 1-2-3 punch from Beth Sykes, Ruth Spijker, Jen Corroy in third to fifth place. Nova Southeastern claimed a dominant individual SSC Championship with Jillian Thorning running 21:15.8 (22 seconds ahead of the next runner), and a third place team finish at SSCs.

No. 2 Mississippi College rose two places this week after being crowned Gulf South Conference Champions with 43 points. They defeated No. 3 Lee (Tenn.) by eight points with a slightly higher pack running performance with its runners who were positioned from fourth to fourteenth. The Choctaws relied on senior low-sticks, Lauren Wallace and Bre Bell for this win. Lee provided strong competition, with their top runners, Maria Mitchell taking the GSC individual title in 20:23.2, and a third place finish by sophomore, Estella Clemons. 

South Central Regional

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

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

Notes: No 1. Colorado School of Mines dominated its conference meet to claim its first ever RMAC Championship team title. M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week Grace Strongman set a course record of 20:06.7 en-route to her individual gold for the Orediggers. Colo. School of Mines’ powerful performance saw all five of their scorers in the top nine with freshman Siera Wall rounding out their scores. No. 2 UC-Colorado Springs jumped three spots after its runner-up team finish at the RMAC Championships with 68 points. Freshman Elizabeth McQuitty ran a stunning performance for sixth place, which acted as critical low-stick for the Mountain Lions. No. 3 Adams State maintained its ranking after a third place conference finish where UCCS scored better in every position except for Adams State first runner. The Grizzlies junior Tristian Spence was individual runner-up in 20:14.9. Western Colorado finished in fourth at the RMAC Championships.

No. 4 West Texas A&M won the Lone Star Conference title with 37 points. The Buffaloes’ large spread of two minutes and thirty seconds saw them fall two places in the rankings.

Southeast Regional

 Projected AQs: No. 1 Wingate, No. 2 Catawba, No. 3 Flagler

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 Anderson (S.C.), No. 5 Lincoln Memorial

Notes: The Southeast Regional rankings were consistent with no movement this week. The SAC Championships course proved challenging with 600 ft of elevation gain and non-stop rolling hills over the 6k distance. Wingate won its ninth SAC Championship title with 25 points while resting its regular No. 4-7 runners. Abigail Bester was crowned the individual champion for the Bulldogs.. No. 2 Catawba was runner-up at the SAC Championship, convincingly defeating regional rivals No. 4 Anderson (S.C.) (third at SAC) and No. 5 Lincoln Memorial (fourth at SAC). Catawba placed five runners in the top twelve at this meet on a challenging course. Its performance was highlighted by Hannah Caudill third place finish and Natalie Almond’s sixth place finish.

Flagler swept both the team and individual titles at the Peach Belt Conference with 21 points. The Saints were supported by two incredible efforts from the individual champion, Chloe Smith, and runner-up Abigail Misch. They maintained a tight spread of 27 seconds with an average time of 18:55. 

West Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Chico State, No. 2 Stanislaus State, No. 3 Biola

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 Western Washington, No. 5 Alaska Anchorage

Notes: The West Regional ranked teams remained in the same positions after this past weekend. In the CCAA Championships No. 1 Chico State was crowned the team champion with 25 points, defeating No. 2 Stanislaus State which scored 39 points. Chico State’s average time was 21:54 while Stanislaus State averaged 22:02. The Wildcats’ Iresh Molina claimed gold with a time of 21:32.7. She was supported by a strong pack of Wildcats that finished from fourth to sixth. Stanislaus State’s Annie Wild led the Warriors to a runner-up team finish with her individual silver.

No. 3 Biola won the PacWest Championships in Hawaii with a score of 42 points. Bethany Mapes continued to showcase her strength for Biola as she achieved the individual crown.

Western Washington conquered Seattle Pacific and Alaska Anchorage’s teams to earn the GNAC team title. The Vikings placed their best five runners in the top twelve, and were home to the individual runner-up in Alexis Parker. Alaska Anchorage remains ranked fifth after placing third at the GNAC Championships.