2023 NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 1
NEW ORLEANS – The season is officially underway!
Here is the Week 1 edition of the NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll for the 2022 season, as released on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Remember that this poll is conducted by counting votes from 11 member coaches – one from each of the division’s nine regions (who also do the regional rankings) – as well as two members from the NCAA Cross Country Executive Committee.
NCAA Division I — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
NC State
NC State
2
Northern Arizona
Northern Arizona
3
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State
4
Notre Dame
Notre Dame
5
Colorado
Colorado
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
As the first weeks of collegiate racing wrapped up, all is well for the teams occupying the top-5 positions in the National Coaches’ Poll. NC State continues to reign at the No. 1 position with ten first-place votes. Northern Arizona once again claims a first-place vote to stay in the No. 2 spot, with Oklahoma State at No. 3, Notre Dame in No. 4, and Colorado in No. 5. The Wolfpack opened their season at the adidas XC Invitational, while the Lumberjacks sailed to a perfect 15-point score at the George Kyte Classic, and Notre Dame showcased the potential of their newcomers and dominated at the National Catholic Invitational.
The rest of the top-10 saw no new teams enter, but some shuffling of positions ensued after competition on the grass. The biggest jump came from Oregon, as the Ducks flew up three spots from preseason projections to No. 7 after a strong opener at Linfield. BYU moved up one spot to No. 6 following their excellent performance at the BYU Autumn Classic where they showcased a full squad. Florida followed suit with a one-place improvement to No. 8, after the Gators rolled to victory at the Mountain Dew Invitational. Stanford sits at No. 9, and North Carolina rounds out at No. 10.
Other teams also had ample opportunity to make some noise early in the season, and notably Ole Miss took full advantage, soaring up from their unranked preseason mark to the No. 26 position following their win over top-billed teams like Alabama at the Southern Showcase. Other improvements include No. 13 Washington (up two from No. 15), No. 15 Michigan State ( up two from No. 17), No. 16 Wisconsin (up two from No. 18), No. 17 Oregon State (up three from No. 20) , No. 18 Arkansas (up one from No. 19), No. 22 California Baptist (up two from No. 24), No. 23 Michigan (up two from No. 25), No. 26 Iowa State (up one from No. 27) and No. 28 West Virginia (up one from No. 29).
Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 18, because that’s when the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships will be held at Panorama Farms in Charlottesville, Virginia!
