2025 NCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 6

NEW ORLEANS – With interregional weekend in the rear view mirror, teams across the country start to plan their next exit to the postseason.

The newest edition of the 2025 NCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll was released Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), just ahead of a major weekend of competition. All USTFCCCA polls and rankings are presented by AthleticNET.

NCAA Division III — Men's Cross Country

This Week's National Top Five

1
UW-La Crosse

2
Wartburg

3
Johns Hopkins

4
Tufts

5
SUNY Geneseo

Cross Country Polls & Rankings

NATIONAL POLL

REGIONAL RANKINGS

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Interregional weekend did not disappoint as many teams flew and drove all across the country for some historic performances. From the shining coastline of Waterford, Connecticut, to the humid plains of Rock Island, Illinois, everyone noticed results from these meets. With many teams showing up or striking out, all that matters is what lies ahead in the postseason.

Augustana Interregional Invitational: Malice in the Midwest

The Eagles of UW-La Crosse continue to keep their No. 1 ranking. This comes after a direct head-to-head matchup with No. 2 Wartburg. This clash of the titans resulted in a 12 point win in UW-La Crosse’s favor with 56 points to Wartburg’s 68. With both teams clearing the rest of the competitors, including No. 8 RPI from the Mideast Region who scored 197, it is clear who the two best teams in the nation are. Both teams were marked by nearly identical performances as both teams had three finishers in the top 13. 

UW-La Crosse had veteran stars as their usual low-sticks in Grant Matthai and Aidan Matthai taking second and fourth respectively along with Joey Sullivan in ninth. Wartburg had Isaiah Hammerand in fifth place along with Eli Larson in tenth and Jack Kinzer in 13th.

The difference maker, much like any team in a high stakes race, came at the fifth man as UW-La Crosse’s Nico Castellanos finished 24th to Wartburg’s Tyler Schermerhorn in 26th. The national rematch in South Carolina will be one for the ages between these two powerhouse programs.

With No. 8 RPI finishing third, an onslaught of teams from the Midwest and North Regions followed. The men from UChicago shocked the nation in Rock Island with their fourth place finish and rose four spots from No. 13 to No. 9. The Maroons beat No. 10 North Central (Ill.), previously ranked sixth. The rivalry will only burn brighter at their Midwest Regional rematch. 

In regard to the North Region, No. 12 UW-Platteville and No. 13 UW-Stevens Point’s battle only grows more fierce as they both improve their ranking and will look to fight further at the WIAC Championships and the ensuing regional championships. Both the Pioneers and the Pointers – as well as UChicago and North Central (Ill.) beat former No. 5 Pomona-Pitzer.

Connecticut College Invitational: Beasts of the East

Halfway across the country, the rest of Division III traveled to compete at the Connecticut College Invitational, and “to compete” is an understatement. They all came to run. 

No. 3 Johns Hopkins continue to be the Mid-Atlantic’s representative on the national stage and set the standard for what a dominant team does. Led by Emmanuel Leblond, who shattered the 2022 course record with his 23:41, the Blue Jays pulled away from the field with visible confidence. Johns Hopkins topped the podium with 96 points, 15 fewer than Tufts. Speaking of the Jumbos, they ambled four spots from No. 9 to No. 5 with their runner-up finish.

As Tufts trailed Johns Hopkins closely, No. 5 SUNY Geneseo came seeking redemption.. Led by Ryan Hagan, the Knights proved that they deserve to be one of the top teams in the division. SUNY Geneseo was only seven points behind Tufts as these two teams along with Johns Hopkins will be quite the battle in South Carolina for a chance at those coveted team trophies. 

If you thought the Tufts and SUNY Geneseo duel was close, look just outside the top five as No. 6 NYU wasn’t far behind. The Violets were bested by the previous teams, yet NYU was only four points behind the Knights. NYU exhibited their usual pack running tactic with a spread of 35 seconds, yet it was not quite enough to hold off the top three teams in Waterford. 

No. 7 Williams proved it has one of the strongest top-three packs in the country, with Rick Yanashita, Eli Welch, and Malcolm Oakes all placing in the top nine. With being only ten points behind No. 6 NYU, the Ephs of Williams proved that the Mideast does not mess around.

Both the Augustana Interregional Invitational and the Connecticut College Invitational demonstrated why they’re two of the premier meets in Division III. If you were to run the Connecticut College Invitational ten different times, you might get a different outcome each race. As for the Augustana Interregional Invitational, the Midwest and North regions showed that it can compete with anybody. And with the Augustana Interregional Invitational having a high concentration of some of the best individuals in the nation, this weekend was a key preview of the upcoming NCAA Championships. With that said, all eyes will be on these teams in the coming weeks as the podium picture remains anyone’s guess.

As we all approach the conference weekends, the landscape of DIII will only get stronger as teams get sharper. In only four weeks, the 2025 NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships will be held on November 22 at the Roger Millikin Cross Country Course in Spartanburg, South Carolina.