2025 NCAA DI Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 5
NEW ORLEANS – Conference Championships Weekend left its mark.
Here is the newest edition of the NCAA DI Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, which is presented by AthleticNET. There is a new No. 1 team in the nation and 19 other teams saw changes in their position since the previous week after a busy weekend across the country.
NCAA Division I — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State
2
Iowa State
Iowa State
3
New Mexico
New Mexico
4
Virginia
Virginia
5
Syracuse
Syracuse
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Oklahoma State usurped Iowa State as the unanimous favorite after crushing its rival – and the rest of a loaded field – this past weekend at the Big 12 Championships in Lawrence, Kansas. The Cowboys dominated the competition with five top-seven finishers and a razor-thin 8.2-second spread between them, totaling just 20 points behind Brian Musau’s third consecutive individual title. Iowa State, now ranked second, still turned in a strong showing with three top-ten finishers, placing second in the team standings ahead of No. 6 Colorado and No. 10 BYU,
Five other conference champions dot the top ten. Mountain West champion New Mexico sits No. 3, followed by ACC champion Virginia at No. 4, Big Ten champion Oregon at No. 7, Big Sky champion Northern Arizona at No. 8, and SEC champion Alabama at No. 10. Each team stood atop its respective podium, though Virginia faced the toughest test, edging No. 5 Syracuse by just four points to claim the ACC crown. Oregon made it look easy in the new-look Big Ten, scoring just 36 points with Abdel Laadjel leading the way with the individual title.
Farther down the National Coaches’ Poll, Tulsa jumped from receiving votes to No. 20 after knocking off former No. 18 Tulane at the American Conference Championships. The Green Wave held a narrow 13-16 edge through three finishers, but the Golden Hurricane surged late, placing its final two scorers ninth and tenth, compared to Tulane’s 13th and 15th. Tulsa’s third through fifth finishers crossed the line just four seconds apart, sealing the comeback.
Oklahoma follows close behind at No. 21, its highest ranking since reaching No. 19 in 2016. The Sooners circled the wagons at the SEC Championships, finishing just three points shy of Georgia for the runner-up spot, 123-126. Depth proved costly in Knoxville, Tennessee, as Oklahoma’s fifth runner placed 62nd after its first four landed inside the top 30.
Arkansas returns to the poll at No. 25 after not being ranked, which is the first time that happened since at least 1998. Other additions to the top 30 include No. 29 Boise State and No. 30 Eastern Kentucky. Missouri, Stanford, Loyola-Chicago, and Georgetown received votes.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 22, because that’s when the 2025 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships will be held at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Missouri.
