2024 NCAA DII Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 7
NEW ORLEANS – We now know which women’s teams will vie for glory at the 2024 NCAA DII Cross Country Championships next Saturday in Sacramento, California.
With Regional Championships Weekend in the books, let’s take a look at the final edition of the NCAA DII Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll for the 2024 season, which was released on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
National Coaches’ Polls are presented by AthleticNET.
NCAA Division II — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Adams State
Adams State
2
Grand Valley State
Grand Valley State
3
Colo. School of Mines
Colo. School of Mines
4
Lewis
Lewis
5
UC-Colorado Springs
UC-Colorado Springs
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Take just one look at the results from the South Central Championships, and just that indicates how many changes we saw in this week’s rankings. There wasn’t much of a surprise at the top, as top-ranked Adams State cruised to the team title with four runners in the top-10. Behind the Grizzlies is where things get interesting: No. 3 Colorado School of Mines took second, then No. 5 UC Colorado Springs – who was ranked fifth in the region coming into the weekend – placed third to snag the third and final automatic qualifying spot. The Mountain Lions held off No. 6 Western Colorado and No. 7 West Texas A&M to punch their ticket to NCAAs. No. 9 CSU Pueblo finished sixth. It’s also worth nothing that No. 24 Colorado Mesa, which finished ninth this past weekend, was selected for an at-large bid and will make its first trip to the NCAA Championships in the past ten years.
No. 2 Grand Valley State won its 23rd consecutive Midwest Regional title, scoring just 20 points with a 1-2-4-6-7 finish. Their entire top seven finished within the top 20! No. 4 Lewis and No. 23 Cedarville will join the Lakers in Sacramento after placing second and third, respectively.
No. 10 Augustana (S.D.) secured its NCAA berth by winning the Central Region, its fourth title in the past five seasons. The Vikings had three runners finish in the top 10, led by senior Ella Bakken (fourth, 20:50). No. 12 Pittsburg State and No. 17 U-Mary rounded out the top three. U-Mary senior senior Alyssa Becker took home the individual win in 20:20, her fourth victory this season.
Out West, No. 13 Chico State took home the victory for the first time in over five years. Twin sisters Della (fourth, 20:31) and Iresh (fifth, 20:35) Molina finished side-by-side to lead the way for the Wildcats. No. 14 Western Washington and No. 16 Biola (Calif.) rounded out the top three No. 19 Alaska-Fairbanks placed fourth but swept the top two individual spots – Rosie Fordham in 1st (19:52) and Kendall Kramer in 2nd (20:06). That was enough to secure the Nanooks an at-large bid.
No. 11 Lee (Tenn.) won its fifth straight South Regional title with just 18 points. The Flames swept the top three individual spots to keep the title in Tennessee. No. 27 Tampa and No. 29 Nova Southeastern have been trading regional rankings all season long, but they’ll head to NCAAs together after placing second and third, respectively.
In the Southeast, No. 7 Wingate took home the regional title, followed by No. 28 Flagler and RV Catawba. It’s the Bulldogs’ third Southeast title in a row, and they placed four runners in the top eight to secure the victory. Senior Taylor Stone (1st, 21:04) won the individual title for Flagler, becoming the first Saint to do so in program-record fashion.
The East saw a bit of a shakeup with Southern Connecticut State. The Owls entered the weekend ranked sixth in the region and went home with a massive second place team finish. But it was Roberts Wesleyan on top. The Redhawks won their second-ever East region title, and it was their first since 2014. Daeman will also head to NCAAs after placing third.
Finally, after placing third as a team last year, Davis & Elkins finally got their hands on the top prize and won the Atlantic region. Slippery Rock senior Anna Igims became the first individual regional champion in school history, leading her team to their second place finish. East Stroudsburg rounded out the top 3.
No. 6 Western Colorado, No. 7 West Texas A&M, No. 9 CSU Pueblo, No. 15 Fort Lewis, No. 18 Colorado Christian, No. 19 Alaska Fairbanks, No. 20 Winona State, No. 21 Rogers State, No. 22 Stanislaus State, and No. 24 Colorado Mesa will join the AQ teams in Sacramento after receiving at large bids.
