2025 NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 5

NEW ORLEANS – Conference meets create big changes across all nine regions as Regional Championships are just under two weeks away. 

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

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 4 Toledo, No. 5 Ohio

Notes: Notre Dame remains atop the Great Lakes region for the sixth consecutive week, following its second-place finish at the ACC Championships. The Fighting Irish continue to be led by sophomore Mary Bonner Dalton, who finished second overall in 19:14, just a second away from claiming the meet’s top spot. While there is a sizeable gap between its first and second runners, Notre Dame runs close together with a 2-5 gap of only 16 seconds and a 2-7 gap of only 17 seconds. This Fighting Irish squad will look to use this rare combination of depth and low stick in two weeks to find their fifth consecutive regional title. 

Michigan State jumps Wisconsin this week in the rankings in a move that reflects this weekend’s Big Ten Championship race. The Spartans found a fifth-place finish on their home course, just one spot ahead of the Badgers. Rachel Forsyth ran 19:57 for sixth place which helped elevate the East Lansing harriers to a 20:41 average and 147 team score, just 17 points ahead of Wisconsin. The Spartans have great depth with a 2-5 spread of just seven seconds and 2-7 spread of 17 seconds. The first and second ranked teams in the Great Lakes have similar squad make-ups and will battle it out on Friday, Nov. 14 for the region’s top spot. 

Mid-Atlantic Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 West Virginia, No. 2 Penn State

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Georgetown, No. 4 Villanova, No. 5 Princeton

Notes: West Virginia is the Mid-Atlantic’s top team for the third week in a row. The Mountaineers come off a strong third-place finish at the Big 12 Championships where they were led by the 1-2 punch of Joy Naukot and Mercy Kinyanjui. Naukot ran 19:14 for second while Kinyanjui placed eighth, running 19:46. Behind those two, West Virginia averaged 19:59 for 6k, but had a large 1-5 spread of 1:37. While the Mountaineers beat some of the nation’s best, they did not face any regional foes, giving fans little insight into how they might matchup in the race at Lehigh, just under two weeks from now. 

Penn State has been all over the top three spots this season, as they slide into the second spot this week. The Nittany Lions found success at the Big Ten Championships, claiming second overall, as they were led by senior Florence Caron’s fourth place finish. Charlotte Costich and Ada Rand found eighth and 12^th place finishes behind her respectively as Penn State put five in the top thirty enroute to a 20:21 average and 78 team score. This was the Nittany Lions’ best finish at a conference meet since 2016 and they are hoping to use this momentum to find their first regional title since the 2021 edition, held at Lehigh. 

Midwest Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Iowa State, No. 2 Oklahoma State

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Northwestern, No. 4 Missouri, No. 5 Minnesota

Notes: Iowa State’s second place finish at the Big 12 Championships sees them remain at the top of the Midwest this week. The Cyclones had an impressive showing, placing three in the top ten and another in the top fifteen. The trio of Mercyline Kirwa, Betty Kipkore, and Mercy Kibet went 5-6-7, running 19:24, 19:26, and 19:27 respectively as the squad from Ames averaged 19:49 for 6k. The only thing holding the Cyclones back is their fifth runner who was in 41^st, creating an additional 26-point gap. If they can close that gap, the region and the rest of the nation will have to be on Cyclone watch. 

Oklahoma State returns to a projected automatic qualifier spot this week after falling from its top spot last week. The Cowgirls took fourth at the Big 12 Championships, where its team total of 86 points was just 15 points behind Iowa State. The combination of Isca Chelangat and Maureen Rutoh is formidable as they finished 4^th and 9^th respectively, running 19:20 and 19:47. However, Oklahoma State will look to tighten up their 3, 4, and 5 runners in order to compete with the Cyclone’s big three and find their fourth straight regional title. 

Mountain Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 BYU, No. 2 New Mexico

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Colorado, No. 4 Utah, No. 5 Northern Arizona

Notes: BYU is still the Mountain region’s top ranked team following their first-place finish at the Big 12 Championships, marking their third consecutive conference title. The Cougars placed three in the top ten, five in the top fifteen, and seven in the top twenty, showcasing their depth and front-running ability. Jane Hedengren is now two-for-two when it comes to breaking course records as the freshman phenom ran 18:29 for first place, 44 seconds ahead of second place. BYU’s 19:27 average and 38-point team score was over 30 points ahead of second place and more importantly almost 100 points ahead of regional foes No. 3 Colorado and No. 4 Utah, who they will see in just under two weeks in Salt Lake City. 

New Mexico is finally showing fans their true strength as they claimed the Mountain West title in dominant fashion. Pamela Kosgei, absent from competition to this point, finally made her season debut and it did not disappoint. Last year’s national runner-up ran away from the field, claiming the individual title in 19:20 as the Lobos put four in the top five. New Mexico averaged 19:52 for 6k and put up a team score of just 24 as they defeated regional opponents No. 6 Air Force, No. 7 Utah State, and No. 8 Colorado State. The Lobos will look to find a similar performance at regionals where two of the best teams and individuals will battle it out.  

Northeast Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Boston College, No. 2 Syracuse

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Providence, No. 4 Yale, No. 5 Connecticut

Notes: Boston College sees themselves atop the Northeast for the third consecutive week now. The Eagles placed seventh at the ACC Championships. Led by Imogen Gardiner’s 35^th place finish, the Eagles had exceptional depth, with just a 20-second 1-5 spread. Boston College will look to find a true low stick to step up and lead the Eagles to a Northeast region championship. 

Syracuse found themselves behind Boston College at the ACC Championship, in 13^th place. The Orange averaged 20:45 for 6k, led by Selma Anderson’s 20:01, good for 20^th place. While they have a more defined front-runner, Syracuse struggles with depth, as demonstrated with their 1:17 spread from 1-5. The Orange will look to tighten up their top five as they seek to claim their first Northeast region title since 2023. 

South Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Alabama

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Florida State, No. 5 Mississippi State

Notes: Florida’s first-place finish at the SEC Championships sees them remain the South’s top-ranked team. Fans have waited over a month to see this Gators team race their best and they did not disappoint. Judy Chepkoech led the Gainesville squad with a second-place finish, crossing the line in 19:47. The trio of Hilda Olemomoi, Tia Wilson, and Desma Chepkoech backed her up, finishing seventh, eighth, and 10^th respectively as the Gators put four in the top ten enroute to a 72-point victory over Alabama. In addition to defeating the Crimson Tide, the Gators also toppled regional rivals Tennessee, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, and Ole Miss in Knoxville. Florida showed impressive depth which, combined with their ace, will make them difficult to beat in Huntsville.  

Alabama were runners up at the SEC Championships, behind the region’s top-ranked team. The Crimson Tide showed that they had one of the nation’s best trios with reigning national champion Doris Lemngole, Caren Kiplagat and Cynthia Jemutai finishing 1-3-4. Unfortunately, Alabama did not have the depth to dethrone Florida, as they had a massive 1-5 spread of 2:26. The Crimson Tide did knock off Tennessee and Mississippi State and will look to do the same at South Regionals, to lock in their automatic qualifying spot. 

South Central Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Tulane

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 SMU, No. 5 Texas

Notes: LSU makes the jump to number one in the South Central rankings this week as they come off a fourth-place finish in a stacked SEC Championship meet. The Tigers had been sitting in fifth for the majority of the season, but now find themselves in a projected automatic qualifying spot. The duo of Edna Chepkemoi and Yuya Sawada ran 20:27 and 20:29 respectively as they found 13^th and 15^th place finishes. LSU’s 20:52 average and 159 team points were enough to knock off regional rivals Texas A&M and Texas who finished in 6^th and 13^th respectively. This conference finish is the Tigers’ highest since 1999, and they will look to carry this momentum into Fayetteville in search of their first ever regional title. 

Tulane moves back one spot into second, as they come off a dominant win at the American Conference Championships. The partnership of Blezzin Kimutai and Dorcas Naibei’s second and fourth place finishes helped elevate the Green Wave to a 20:37 team average for 6k. Tulane put four in the top ten and eight in the top twenty enroute to a 36-point team total, beating No. 8 Rice by the same margin, as they claimed their first conference title since 2023 and second in program history. The Green Wave will look to carry that momentum into Arkansas to claim regional silverware in addition to their conference title. 

Southeast Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 NC State, No. 2 North Carolina

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Virginia, No. 4 South Carolina, No. 5 Duke

Notes: A first-place finish at the ACC Championships keeps NC State at number one in the Southeast rankings. The Wolfpack continue their dominant season as they claimed victory over the entire ACC conference and many regional foes. Angelina Napoleon followed up on her second-place finish at Nuttycombe, claiming the gold with a time of 19:13 for 6k. The rest of the pack followed closely behind with all five scorers in the top ten, averaging 19:27 with a 1-5 gap of just 31 seconds, demonstrating some of nation’s best depth. Most importantly, the Wolfpack toppled North Carolina, Virginia, Duke, and Virginia Tech who will all be vying for the region’s top spot. 

North Carolina makes one of the biggest leaps of the season as they climb from eighth in last week’s poll to second. The Tar Heels showed that they are top contenders for one of the Southeast’s auto-qualifying spots with their third-place team finish at the ACC Championships, finishing above Virginia, Duke, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest. Vera Sjoberg, the Boston University transfer, made just her second appearance this season, matching her sixth-place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational. Sjoberg and teammate Brynn Brown both went under 20 minutes, running 19:31 and 19:55 respectively. With a 1-5 spread of 1:08, the Tar Heels will look to close the gap in order to lock up a top-two finish in a competitive Southeast region. 

West Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Stanford

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Washington, No. 4 Washington State, No. 5 Gonzaga

Notes: Oregon stays atop the West region for the sixth consecutive week, as they come off a historic Big Ten Championship meet. The Ducks put up the lowest team score in Big Ten history to claim the team title, their second straight. The trio of Diana Cherotich, Juliet Cherubet, and Silan Ayyildiz went 1-2-3, running 19:31, 19:46, and 19:47. Behind them, Dalia Frias and Mia Barnett found fifth and seventh place finishes as the Ducks averaged 19:50, knocking off Washington in the process. Oregon will look to hold their conference form to claim their second consecutive regional title. 

Stanford comes off a fourth-place finish at a competitive ACC meet, which slots them in second in the West region rankings. The Cardinal averaged 20:11 and put up 150 points, topping regional and state rival California. Sophia Kennedy was Stanford’s top finisher, placing seventh and running 19:35. Behind her, the Cardinal run mostly separated from each other as Mena Scatchard was in 23^rd and Julia Flynn was in 37^th. The Palo Alto harriers have a decently tight spread of 53 seconds but will look to close that gap in order to lock in an auto qualifying spot as they look to find their first West region title since 2023.