2025 NCAA DIII Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 4

NEW ORLEANS – A big weekend shook up the regional rankings.

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 Colby, No. 4 Wellesley, No. 5 Bowdoin

Notes: Several teams in the East Region took to the course this past weekend at the Keene State College Invitational. Tufts earned runner-up honors behind Williams with Colby and Wellesley lagging behind in third and fourth, respectively. 

Great Lakes Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Trine

Next in Line: No. 2 Calvin

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Hope, No. 4 John Carroll, No. 5 Ohio Wesleyan

Notes: Trine took full advantage of its first look at the course that will host regionals next month. The Thunder rolled to a runner-up finish in the Women’s 6k Blue at the Louisville Classic. John Carroll was in the same race with Trine, but finished a distant fourth with 282 points. Calvin, once again led by Sophie Bull, was tenth overall in the Women’s Gold 5k at the Joe Piane Invitational, while Hope earned fifth place at the Blugold Invitational.

Metro Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Rowan

Next in Line: No. 2 TCNJ

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Moravian, No. 4 Swarthmore, No. 5 Haverford

Notes: Changes swept through the Metro Region after what transpired at the Paul Short Run. Nine of the region’s top-ten teams competed in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with Rowan posting the region’s best finish in 20th place. TCNJ was 25th, followed distantly by Moravian in 31st, Swarthmore in 32nd, and Haverford further down in 36th place.

Mid-Atlantic Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Johns Hopkins

Next in Line: No. 2 Carnegie Mellon

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Lebanon Valley, No. 4 Misericordia, No. 5 Salisbury

Notes: Strong performances at the Paul Short Run carried the top teams from the Mid-Atlantic Region. Johns Hopkins took down national No. 1 MIT in the Women’s College Gold 6k, while Carnegie Mellon took runner-up honors in the Women’s College White 6k. Lebanon Valley was 17th in the White 6k, while Misericordia and Salisbury were both idle.

Mideast Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Williams

Next in Line: No. 2 Amherst

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

Notes: Williams ran roughshod over the competition at the Keene State College Invitational, putting all seven runners in the top ten en route to an 18-60 victory. Amherst, Middlebury, Connecticut College, and Vassar all competed in the Women’s College White 6k. While Middlebury and Connecticut College both beat Amherst in the White 6k, the Mammoths didn’t race three of their top-seven athletes and saw a 2:32 spread between their scorers.

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: While there were no changes to the top-five teams, both UChicago and Wartburg turned in notable performances. The Maroons split their squad between the Joe Piane Invitational and the Brissman-Lundeen Invitational – and starred in both locations. UChicago was fourth in the Women’s Gold 5k at Notre Dame and won the Brissman-Lundeen title in hot conditions. The Knights finished ninth in the Women’s College White 6k at the Paul Short Run.

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: NYU, SUNY Geneseo, and Ithaca all competed in the College Women’s White 6k at the Paul Short Run to favorable results. The Violets, without the services of All-American Janie Cooper, dominated the proceedings and beat 13 other nationally ranked programs. NYU put up just 55 points to beat Carnegie Mellon by 102. The Knights were a distant third behind the Tartans with the Bombers holding their own in 19th place out of 45 teams.

North Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 UW-La Crosse

Next in Line: No. 2 Carleton

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

Notes: The winds of change swept through the North Region. UW-La Crosse ascends to No. 1 after a strong runner-up finish in the Women’s Gold 5k at the Joe Piane Invitational, beating NCAA DI program St. Thomas and Midwest Region No. 1 UChicago. The Eagles also sent a team to the Blugold Invitational and won that. Carleton took fourth at the Blugold Invitational, albeit with a shorthanded roster. UW-Eau Claire leapfrogged St. Olaf into the No. 3 position following its runner-up showing at the Blugold Invitational with a tight 43-second spread.

South Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Washington and Lee

Next in Line: No. 2 Emory

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Lynchburg, No. 4 Southern Virginia, No. 5 Christopher Newport

Notes: Washington and Lee and Emory took fifth and sixth, respectively, in the Women’s College White 6k at the Paul Short Run. Lynchburg and Southern Virginia also fared well and saw their stock rise exponentially from sixth to third and ninth to fourth.

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: There were no changes to the top-five teams.