2021 NCAA DII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 5
NEW ORLEANS – Some great racing this past weekend was bound to make changes among the nation’s top teams!
Here is the Week 5 edition of the NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, as released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Wednesday. A total of 18 teams moved up and down the leaderboard, while six programs earned the nod for a top-30 appearance.
There will be no National Coaches’ Poll released next week as teams gear up for Conference Championship weekend. The next installment of the National Coaches’ Poll will be released on Wednesday, October 27.
NCAA Division II — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Grand Valley State
Grand Valley State
1
Colo. School of Mines
Colo. School of Mines
3
Adams State
Adams State
4
Augustana (S.D.)
Augustana (S.D.)
5
Colorado Christian
Colorado Christian
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Nothing changed among the top-4 programs as co-No. 1s Colorado School of Mines and Grand Valley State, No. 3 Adams State and No. 4 Augustana (S.D.) held steady. No. 5 Colorado Christian rejoins the top-5 after a week-long hiatus. The Cougars topped a loaded field at the Lewis Crossover this past weekend and placed three runners in the top-7.
Pittsburg State moved from No. 11 to No. 6 following a five-spot improvement and setting another program record in the National Coaches’ Poll. It was a well deserved jump as the Gorillas took down former No. 7 (now No. 8) Lee (Tenn.), former No. 12 (now No. 11) Alabama-Huntsville, former No. 10 (now No. 12) Southern Indiana and former No. 14 (now No. 15) Missouri Southern. Those four teams finished second, third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
Speaking of Alabama-Huntsville, the Chargers also earned an improvement in the rankings after finishing two points ahead of the Screaming Eagles, 119-121.
Four teams jumped multiple spots in this week’s National Coaches’ Poll after posting favorable results from this past weekend: Charleston (W.VA.) jumped two spots from No. 16 to No. 14; Lewis climbed three spots from No. 19 to No. 16; American International soared eight spots from No. 27 to No. 19; Walsh jumped three spots from No. 26 to No. 23. The Golden Eagles ran away from the competition to win the Royals XC Challenge. The Flyers and Cavaliers placed second and fifth, respectively, at the Lewis Crossover. The Yellow Jackets debuted a full squad and captured runner-up honors at the NEICAAA Championships to NCAA Division I Dartmouth, 60-78.
No. 24 Neb.-Kearney and No. 30 Saginaw Valley State both went from Not Ranked in Week 4 to top-30 billings in Week 5. The Lopers beat former No. 21 (now No. 26) Northwest Missouri, 90-93, for second place in the Gold section at the FHSU Tiger Classic. The Cardinals had an impressive sixth-place showing at the Lewis Crossover and beat former No. 22 (now RV) Biola (Calif.), former No. 24 (now NR) Cal State San Marcos and RV Michigan Tech.
Moving from the Land of Receiving Votes is No. 20 Wayne State (Mich.), No. 21 Western Washington, No. 25 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) and No. 29 Edinboro.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 20, as the 2021 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships will take place at Abbey Golf Course in Tampa, Florida!
