2022 NCAA DII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 8
NEW ORLEANS – One meet left in a long cross country season.
Here is the Pre-Championships Edition of the NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll for the 2022 season, as released on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
NCAA Division II — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Colo. School of Mines
Colo. School of Mines
2
Grand Valley State
Grand Valley State
3
Wingate
Wingate
4
Chico State
Chico State
5
Lee (Tenn.)
Lee (Tenn.)
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Nothing changed at the top as Colorado School of Mines continues to sit atop the National Coaches’ Poll. The top-ranked Orediggers romped to their fourth consecutive team title at the South Central Region Championships, scoring just 25 points. Dillon Powell captured the individual crown as he led the Orediggers to a 1-4-5-7-8 finish. Colorado School of Mines is the favorite to win the team title in University Place, Washington, which would be its first national crown since 2019 and third in program history.
The next four spots had regional champions improve their billing: NCAA defending champion and Midwest Region champion Grand Valley State at No. 2; Southeast Region champion Wingate at No. 3; West Region champion Chico State at No. 4; South Region champion Lee (Tenn.) at No. 5. The Lakers will be looking to bring home its second-straight crown and third in program history.
The remainder of the top-10 also saw plenty of movement following Regional Championships Saturday: South Central Region runner-up Colorado Christian soared six spots from No. 12 to No. 6; Central Region champion Missouri Southern improved from No. 8 to No. 7; Western Colorado fell one spot from No. 7 to No. 8 after a third place finish in the South Central Region; Neb.-Kearney climbed six spots from No. 15 to No. 9 following their runner-up finish in the Central Region; Augustana (S.D.) finished third in the Central Region and dropped one spot from No. 9 to No. 10.
Seven different programs jumped multiple spots in the National Coaches’ Poll outside of the top-10.
- South Central fourth-place finisher UC-Colorado Springs went from No. 14 to No. 11
- Midwest runner-up Saginaw Valley State went from No. 16 to No. 12
- Central fourth-place finisher Pittsburg State jumped from No. 20 to No. 17
- Midwest fifth-place finisher Illinois-Springfield went from No. 21 to No. 19
- West third-place finisher Azusa Pacific soared from No. 28 to No. 21
- Central fifth-place finisher Washburn climbed from No. 30 to No. 22
- Midwest seventh-place finisher Northwood (Mich.) went from No. 29 to No. 27
The 2022 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships are set for Friday, December 2 at Chambers Bay Regional Park in University Place, Washington.
