2025 NCAA DII Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 2

NEW ORLEANS – Welcome to Week 2 of the NCAA DII Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings for the 2025 season, which are released every Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

This week will be a good test for many teams as interregional and national competition picks up.

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 Saturday, November 8.

Atlantic Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Davis & Elkins, No. 2 Slippery Rock, No. 3 Kutztown

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 East Stroudsburg, No. 5 Shippensburg

Notes: There was no movement to the top five in this week’s rankings. Many of the teams were focused on training to prime for this weekend’s Lock Haven Invite on September 27, which will host regionals this year. You can expect an exciting meet with the top three regionally ranked teams looking to gain regional course experience and battle for the win. This match up has been highly anticipated.

The Rock raced this past weekend taking a comfortable win in the Allegheny Classic with 39 points. Another race to watch will be Lehigh’s Paul Short Run with No. 3 Kutztown , No. 4 East Stroudsburg, and No. 5 Shippensburg battling it out for bragging rights. The Warriors’ raced at UMass Dartmouth’s meet where their team placed eighth overall, beating the East Regional’s second ranked Owls with its first two low sticks ahead of the Owl’s first finisher. 

Central Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Winona State, No. 2 Pittsburg State, No. 3 Missouri Southern,

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 Rogers State, No. 5 Nebraska-Kearney.

Notes: Winona State had a breakthrough performance in winning the Maroon Race at the Roy Griak Invitational with an incredible 1-2-3 punch. The Warriors’ performance was highlighted by Sophia Taarud’s individual win, which was supported by her teammates Kylie Anderson’s second-place, and sophomore Ella Voit’s third-place finish. This sterling effort drastically shifted the rankings, as they rose from sixth ranked to first this week.

Pittsburg State dropped to second in the rankings this week, although they cemented their ranking with a notable win at the Southern Stampede 5k with a score of 45 points. Its performance had three key low sticks in Paige Mullen, Hannah Gibson, and Lorna Rae Pierce. Missouri Southern jumped to third this week after a second place performance whilst missing its anticipated top runner Jayna Gunter. Rogers State fell to fourth in the rankings after a third place finish at the Southern Stampede without three of its top runners. 

East Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Roberts Wesleyan, No. 2 Southern Connecticut State, No. 3 Jefferson (Pa.)

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 D’Youville, No. 5 Daemen

Notes: Roberts Wesleyan remained ranked in position to take the regional title. It will attempt to back up its ranking with a strong performance at its home meet this weekend where they will compete against No. 4 D’Youville, and No. 5 Daemen.

No. 2 Southern Connecticut State was 13th at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational ahead of many other Division II teams with two strong low sticks. Jefferson (Pa.) finished third at the Stockton NJ 6k with an average time of 23:44 justifying its No. 3 spot in this week’s rankings.

D’Youville rose to fourth this week ahead of No. 5 Daemen who also rose one place to be in the conversation for an automatic qualifying spot to NCAAs.

Midwest Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Grand Valley State, No. 2 Cedarville, No. 3 Lewis

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 Walsh, No. 5 UW-Parkside

Notes: GVSU will stay at the top of the rankings after taking a down week from racing this past weekend. They are expected to compete next at the Joe Piane Invitational on October 3.

Cedarville rises one place over Lewis after both teams appeared to field their best runners at two comparable meets. The Yellow Jackets had a tight spread of 26 seconds between their first and fifth runners at the All-Ohio InterCollegiate Invitational Challenge, with deep pack running that placed all their scorers in the top six. The Flyers raced at the National Catholics Invitational 5km where they beat DI Loyola with a 50 second spread, and 18:16 average time. Both the Cavaliers and the Rangers hold steady at fourth, and fifth respectively.

South Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Lee (Tenn.), No. 2 Tampa, No. 3 Mississippi College

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 West Florida, No. 5 Nova Southeastern

Notes: The South Region remained stable with all teams’ ranked as automatic qualifiers maintaining their respective positions.

The Flames will travel to Pre-Nationals this weekend to compete at Lucian Rosa Invitational. They will be focused on gaining experience over the national championship course to better their ninth place finish at NCAA’s last year.

Tampa will look to field its top returners at the Florida State University meet this weekend, which will provide a good indicator to the team’s true potential.

Mississippi College ran a strong performance for a third place finish at the Rhodes Invitational defeating DI Memphis in the process, with freshman Kaydi Blanchard leading the way.

West Florida rose one place to be ranked fourth overall with a solid performance at Firehawk Invitational with a 22:46 average time. Nova Southeastern dropped to fifth ranked, but is also expected to race at the FSU’s meet.

South Central Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Adams State, No. 2 West Texas A&M, No. 3 Colo. School of Mines

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 Western Colorado, No. 5 UC-Colorado Springs

Notes: No 1. Adams State is expected to field their top squad at Pre-Nationals at the Lucian Rosa Invitational on September 27. West Texas A&M is not set to race again until the Louisville Classic on October 4. The Orediggers came fifth at the Roadrunners Invite last week while sitting some of their key runners. In the mix for gaining automatic qualifying position is Western Colorado, and UC-Colorado Springs.

Southeast Region

 Projected AQs: No. 1 Wingate, No. 2 Catawba, No. 3 Flagler

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 Anderson, No. 5 Lincoln Memorial

Notes: Wingate was runner-up at their home meet to regional rival Catawba after sitting a few of their key scorers. The Bulldogs are anticipated to send their best team to the Paul Short Invite at Lehigh on October 3. Catawba remained ranked second after winning the Bulldog Stampede scoring 32 points led by Madison Clay’s individual win. No. 3 Flagler was fifth at this meet without running top returners who may have been held out to compete at FSU’s meet this Friday. No. 4 Anderson had a strong third place finish with Kennedy Roush making an impact to rise one spot in the rankings after defeating Flagler. 

West Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Stanislaus State, No. 2 Chico State, No. 3 CAL Poly Pomona

Also in the Hunt: No. 4 Point Loma Nazarene, No. 5 Biola

The West Region saw no movement on any of the ranking positions for week two after none of the regional teams raced this past week. No. 1 Stanislaus State is expected to race at UC Riverside’s Invite this weekend, whilst No. 2 Chico State will head further north to Oregon for the Mike Johnson Classic. The Broncos are set to head to the Lucian Rosa Invitational for pre-nationals where they will see how they stack up in a national caliber field. The fourth ranked Sea Lions and the fifth ranked Biolas will compete against the Warriors at the UC Riverside’s Invite.