It’s New Mexico, Then Anybody’s Guess in the DI Women’s Poll

NEW ORLEANS – This past weekend proved two things in NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country: New Mexico is in a league of its own, and after the Lobos it’s anybody’s guess as to who will be a viable challenger come November.

The latest National Coaches’ Poll, released Tuesday afternoon by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), reaffirmed these truths. New Mexico remained the unanimous No. 1 team, followed by No. 2 Colorado and No. 3 Providence.

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Ever since the Lobos added the final piece of their juggernaut (UMKC transfer and 2014 All-American Courtney Frerichs), pundits wanted to see how well they could run in a true competition. Well, New Mexico debuted last Friday at the Joe Paine Notre Dame Invitational and didn’t disappoint. The Lobos placed each member of the Formidable Four – Frerichs (second), Rhona Auckland (fourth), Alice Wright (fifth) and Calli Thackery (sixth) – in the top-6 and dominated the stacked field (29 points).

The Buffaloes also competed for the first time this season and looked strong in the process. Led by Erin Clark, who won the race by 41 seconds, Colorado swept through its own Rocky Mountain Shootout.

Then there are the Friars, who were off this past weekend but are still on Cloud Nine after crushing their foes at the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown.

After the Buffaloes and Friars – well, really after New Mexico – it’s anybody’s guess.

From No. 4 to No. 30, there was a ton of movement. Only two teams – No. 17 Virginia and No. 23 Minnesota – remained in place from the previous poll.

Oregon climbed one spot from No. 5 to No. 4 thanks to its win at the Washington Invitational last Friday. The Ducks put three runners in the top-10 – sophomore Alli Cash, junior Maggie Schmaedick and senior Waverly Neer – and trumped second-place Washington and third-place Stanford, running without 2014 All-American Elise Cranny. By virtue of their runner-up showing in Seattle, the Huskies surged five spots from No. 15 to No. 10 – its loftiest ranking since 2013. While senior Aisling Cuffe won in her return to competitive racing, it wasn’t enough to keep the Cardinal from falling five spots from No. 4 to No. 9 – its lowest ranking of the season.

With Stanford stumbling, it opened the door for Michigan to vault into the top-5. The Wolverines won the Greater Louisville Classic behind the 1-2 finish of junior Erin Finn and senior Shannon Oskia and advanced three spots from No. 8 to No. 5 nationally.

Boise State and Georgetown also trended upward, going from No. 7 to No. 6 and No. 9 to No. 7, respectively. The Hoyas entered a partial squad at the Paul Short Run, while the Broncos didn’t race this past weekend.

North Carolina State moved up two spots from No. 14 to No. 12 after a runner-up finish at Notre Dame. The Wolfpack got the all-important single point from two-time National Athlete of the Week freshman Ryen Frazier.

Princeton flexed its muscles this past weekend and won its own Inter-Regional Meet. Despite beating both William & Mary and North Carolina, the Tigers remained below both in the poll. The Tribe did fall five spots from No. 18 to No. 23, while Princeton moved up three from No. 28 to No. 25.

Another team trending in the wrong direction is West Virginia. The Mountaineers were No. 10 in the Preseason Poll and currently find themselves at No. 20 following a seven-spot drop from last week. Originally scheduled for the Gold race, WVU ultimately ran in – and won – the Blue race against lesser competition.

There was only one new addition to the poll this week as Cornell went from receiving votes to No. 29. This is the Big Red’s first national ranking since Week 7 in 2013.

Just about every team in DI will rest its legs in anticipation of the heavy slate of meets in two weeks’ time, which include the Wisconsin adidas Invitational and Pre-Nationals.

Then all eyes will be on the postseason, which culminates with the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships held November 21 at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park in Louisville, Kentucky.