2019 NCAA DII Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 7
NEW ORLEANS – The final results of Regional Championship Weekend has caused some substantial changes in the pre-championship edition of the NCAA Division II Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Wednesday afternoon.
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
Chico State
Chico State
5
Augustana (S.D.)
Augustana (S.D.)
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
The top-4 spots continue to be held by Adams State (No. 1), Grand Valley State (No. 2), Colorado School of Mines (No. 3), and Chico State (No. 4).
The Grizzlies, following a dominant South Central Regional Championship, earned all eight first place votes for the eighth straight week. The Lakers have also remained No. 2 for the eighth consecutive week and recently rolled to the Midwest Regional title for the 19th year in a row.
The only change in the top-5 teams came from No. 5 Augustana (S.D.), moving up two spots back into the top-5. In a rematch of the NSIC Championships, the Vikings dispatched U-Mary, the three-time defending Central Region Champions, 41-50 for their first title since 2012. With the Vikings win, the Marauders fell two spots back to No. 7.
Michigan Tech jumped 10 spots from No. 19 to No. 9 for a program all-time best. The Huskies turned in an impressive runner-up finish at the Midwest Regional Championships to leapfrog five programs ranked regionally and nationally higher than the Huskies were entering the weekend. Their finish punched their ticket to NCAAs for the second consecutive year.
The South Central’s fourth-place team, UC-Colorado Springs, moved up two spots to No. 10 to achieve its highest placement of the season. The Mountain Lions earned the region’s only at-large bid to make their fourth straight trip, and 10th overall, to the NCAA Championships.
One of the greatest stories this past weekend came from Northwest Nazarene, which has achieved numerous firsts in program history. The Nighthawks earned their first rank in the National Coaches’ Poll, soaring up to No. 13.
Placing second overall at West Region Cross Country Championships, NNU took down six nationally ranked teams to stir up the team standings. By virtue of their placement, the Nighthawks claimed an automatic bid and will be making the program’s first NCAA Championships appearance.
NNU improved 15 placements from the past two years of regional championships. The Nighthawks’ best finish at the meet, dating back to 2009, was 14th in 2012.
Speaking of the West, two other teams improved their standings following the results of a wild West Regional Championship. No. 14 Cal State East Bay and No. 19 Cal Poly Pomona moved up two spots each. The Pioneers placed third to earn an automatic bid to the national championships. The Broncos, earning their highest placement this season, placed sixth and earned an at-large bid to their fifth overall NCAA appearance.
Three other programs that were previously not ranked received the nod to the National Coaches’ Poll. No. 22 Wayne State finished seventh in the Midwest, No. 23 Colorado Christian placed fifth in the South Central Region, and No. 24 Pittsburg State was third in the Central Region. The Cougars have entered the National Coaches’ Poll for the first time.
The Warriors earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships for their first appearance since 2014 and sixth overall. For the Gorillas, their automatic bid punched their ticket to the national meet for the third straight year.
The 2019 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships will be held on Saturday, November 23, in Sacramento, California.
