Coaches Lean Towards Oklahoma State as New Number One Men’s Team

NEW ORLEANS – Today on this Election Day as most of the political world turns more into a split decision, so too does the USTFCCCA National Cross Country Coaches’ Poll in Division I. In a takeover in sorts, Oklahoma State’s men moved ahead of Stanford and are now the No. 1 team in the country after a thrilling conference championship weekend. Meanwhile as some things remain the same, Villanova is still in the top spot as they have all season in the women’s poll.

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MEN: All it took was for one vote to change in the coaches’ poll, but it was enough to send Oklahoma State to No. 1 in the nation, for the first time in school history. The defending NCAA Champions were voted as high as No. 2 in the 2009 season, but never held the top spot. Going back to 1998, Oklahoma State joins Stanford, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Oregon, and Colorado as the only teams to hold a number one ranking.

The Cowboys won their third-straight Big 12 title on Saturday as Girma Mecheso, German Fernandez, Colby Lowe, and Tom Farrell claimed the top four spots in the league meet. Joseph Manilafasha was ninth individually for OSU, allowing the Cowboys to score just 19 points to runner-up and No. 9 Colorado’s 46.

No. 2 Stanford was nearly as dominant in winning their second-straight Pac-10 title. Scoring just 25 points to No. 3 Oregon’s 56, the Cardinal crew of Elliott Heath, Jake Riley, Chris Derrick went 1-2-3, mirroring a similar finish posted at the Pre-National Invitational earlier in the season. Miles Unterreiner, J.T. Sullivan, Erik Olsen tallied the 9-10-11 spots in the order.

Iona, staying at No. 4, won their 20th-consective MAAC crown on Saturday while No. 5 Wisconsin made it 12 straight in the Big Ten. The Badgers, with just 28 points at their home course, had no trouble holding off No. 12 Indiana. Wisconsin is back in the national top five since September of last season.

Moving up two spots to No. 6, Florida State was much relieved to have finally won their first ACC crown. Having been in the league since 2004, the crown has been elusive for the Seminoles, but with a 43-81 victory over No. 16 NC State and placing the five scores in the top 15, FSU topped the podium.

No. 18 North Carolina continues their accent up the national ranks. Up seven spots this week, the Tar Heels, who had only previously received votes in the national poll’s history, was third at the ACC meet with 84 points, shaking off No. 21 Virginia (92) and No. 23 Duke (93).

At No. 19 and No. 20, William and Mary and Louisville have reached season highs in the poll. The Tribe won their 11th-straight CAA crown on Saturday while the Cardinals (63) were runners-up in the Big East to No. 14 Syracuse (59) by just four points. Louisville’s 3-4-5 scorers held off the charge from those from No. 28 Providence (84) and No. 29 Villanova (85).

Not to be ignored, No. 13 Portland won their 32nd-conscutive West Coast Conference crown in Belmont, Calif., this previous weekend. The Pilots won by just seven points over San Francisco for the epic title. What will be interesting in 2011 is the arrival of No. 15 BYU to the conference’s cross country scene. The Cougars (53) placed runner-up to No. 10 New Mexico (40) in their final Mountain West Championship and was led by junior Miles Batty.

In the conference rundown, the Big East and ACC each have five institutions in the top 30 while the Big Ten places four. The Pac-10 and Big 12 each have three among the nation’s best.

WOMEN: Villanova remains the national No. 1 and this week goes back to unanimous frontrunner status. The Wildcats won their third-straight Big East title last weekend and became the first since Providence in 1995 to 1997 to win three straight league titles. Villanova placed their five scorers in the top 11 to thwart a challenge by No. 5 Georgetown who placed second.

Florida State moved up a spot to No. 2 in the nation after claiming another ACC crown. At No. 3, Texas Tech reaches the national top three for the first time in school history – all this coming after seizing their third-straight Big 12 title from No. 8 Colorado.

Stanford moved up five spots to No. 4 after claiming their first Pac-10 title since 2007. In what was the closest team finish in league history, the Cardinal scored 62 points for the crown to No. 6 Arizona’s 65 and No. 7 Oregon and No. 11 Washington’s 68. The Cardinal is in the top five for the first time since September 30, 2008.

The Virginia squad halved their previous poll ranking in moving from No. 24 to their current notch at No. 12. The Cavaliers placed second at the ACC Championships, recording their best conference finish since 1993.

At No. 18, Michigan has reached their highest ranking of the season. The Wolverines came second at the hotly-contested Big Ten meet, scoring 88 points to conference champion and No. 16 Michigan State’s 74. The Spartans won their first league title since 2001 and their winning score was the highest in Big Ten history to claim the crown.

No. 23 Oklahoma State is enjoying their highest place on the poll since 2006 and No. 30 Toledo is in the national coaches’ top 30 for the first time since October 13, 2003.

The ACC has six squads in the top 30 while the Pac-10 and Big 12 have five apiece. The Big Ten and Big East have four institutions ranked this week.

Next week is a scheduled “repeat” week in the national poll in advance of the upcoming NCAA Regional Championship weekend to be held November 13. The final regular season poll will be announced on November 16 before the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships to be held on Monday, November 22 in Terre Haute, Ind.