2025 NCAA DII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 7
NEW ORLEANS – Ten days from the 2025 NCAA DII Championships and we have our qualifiers.
The stage is set for drama come Saturday, November 22.
Here is the final edition of the NCAA DII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, as released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Wednesday. USTFCCCA polls and rankings are presented by AthleticNET.
NCAA Division II — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Wingate
Wingate
2
Adams State
Adams State
3
Colo. School of Mines
Colo. School of Mines
4
Grand Valley State
Grand Valley State
5
Lee (Tenn.)
Lee (Tenn.)
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Wingate holds steady at No. 1 after starring at the Southeast Region Championships once again. The Bulldogs went 1-2-3-4-6 for a near perfect score of 16 points (Elliot Dotson of Anderson (S.C.) was the only athlete keeping them from a perfect score). Lars Laros led the way for Wingate with the individual title. Dotson’s fifth-place finish paced the 21st-ranked Trojans to a runner-up showing, their best finish in program history. Flagler captured the last automatic qualifying spot out of the Southeast Region, beating Catawba, 83-109.
No. 2 Adams State got a few nods for the top spot in the poll after pulling off another win over No. 3 Colo. School of Mines. The Grizzlies’ top-end proved too much for the Orediggers to handle at the South Central Region Championships as Kidus Begashaw and Julain Campos went 2-3, paving the way for a twelve point victory, 50-62. The two squads dragged four teams along with them to the 2025 NCAA DII Championships. No. 6 Western Colorado, No. 8 Colorado Christian, No. 10 West Texas A&M, and No. 14 UC-Colorado Springs will all make the trip out to Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Surprising absolutely no one, No. 4 Grand Valley State reigned victorious at the Midwest Regional. On their way to a 23rd consecutive team title, the Lakers posted 44 points, with five members inside the top 15. Saginaw Valley State gave GVSU a run for its money, totaling 52 points to come within single digits of upsetting the favorites. The Cardinals were rewarded with a two-spot bump to No. 7, marking their highest national ranking since 2005. The final NCAA berth from the Midwest Region went to No. 18 Lewis.
No. 5 Lee (Tenn.) continues to check all the boxes. For the fifth straight year, the Flames blew through the South Region Championships, taking down No. 17 Florida Southern 24-53. It was a pack running clinic that saw a 24-second spread from their 1-5. The Moccasins did everything they could to counter the effort, even putting six in the top 20. Though it wasn’t enough to dethrone the champs, it paid off with an automatic berth. Perhaps overshadowed was the performance by previously unranked No. 22 Embry-Riddle (Fla.), who took down No. 25 Alabama-Huntsville, 110-132. The selection committee granted both teams a ticket to the 2025 NCAA DII Championships.
No. 9 Northwest Missouri emerged from the Central Region Championships scrum unscathed. The Bearcats gapped the rest of the field by 32 points, looking back at the mess that was to unfold. No. 13 Washburn snuck past No. 17 East Central (Okla.) 104-116, while the Tigers took up their own battle against No. 19 Pittsburg State, 116-118. No. 27 Augustana (S.D.) rounded out the day in fifth, just nine points behind the aforementioned Gorillas, 118-127. Joining those above will be Neb.-Kearney and Oklahoma Baptist, marking seven qualifying teams in total from the Central Region.
Headlining the West Region is No. 11 Chico State which took home the title on Saturday. The Wildcats clawed their way past No. 12 Western Washington 75-88 in no small part thanks to individual champion Damian Garcia, who covered the 10k course in 29:26.3. The clash opened the door for No. 15 Cal Poly Pomona, who snatched the final automatic berth, tallying 97 points. No. 20 Alaska Anchorage and No. 23 Northwest Nazarene were at-large selections.
No. 27 Shippensburg toppled No. 29 Charleston (W.Va.) at the Atlantic Regional Championships. Garrett Quinan and Tommy Crum’s 3-5 finish pushed the Raiders just over the edge, 60-62. The Golden Eagles will have a chance to avenge the loss in just under two weeks. Joining them in the final auto-qualifier from the Atlantic is Davis & Elkins.
The East Region was witness to an absolute master class from Southern Connecticut State. The Owls stormed through the course, finishing as the only team to put up double-digits, with 34 points. Roberts Wesleyan and Franklin Pierce rounded out the podium and mark the last of the qualifiers from that region.
The 2025 NCAA DII Cross Country Championships are set for Saturday, November 22, at the Wayne E. Dannehl National Cross Country Course in Kenosha, Wisconsin. You’ll be able to watch all of the action via live stream on NCAA.com.
