2024 NCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 4

NEW ORLEANS – That’s more like it.

Here is the preseason edition of the NCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings for the 2024 season, as released on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Regional Rankings are determined subjectively by a single member coach in each respective region. The regional representative is tasked with weighing returning teams’ strength with current season results (if applicable) in determining a rank-order of squad potential. Only USTFCCCA member programs are eligible to receive a ranking. Teams with provisional status within the region may be ranked.

Regional Championships Saturday is set for November 16.

East Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 MIT

Next in Line: No. 2 Tufts

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Bates, No. 4 Bowdoin, No. 5 WPI

Notes: MIT, Bates, Bowdoin, WPI and Colby all went head-to-head at the Bates Invitational this past weekend – and finished in that order. Tufts was the only top-5 teams not to race at the Bates Invitational, instead it toed the starting line at the NCAA DIII Pre-National Invitational. 

Great Lakes Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Calvin

Next in Line: No. 2 John Carroll

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Mount Union, No. 4 Hope, No. 5 Case Western Reserve

Notes: Mount Union jumped from No. 5 to No. 3 thanks to a strong showing at the Paul Short Run, where it finished tenth in the Men’s College White 8k. The top-3 runners for the Purple Raiders all crossed the finish line within 19 seconds of each other.

Metro Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Moravian

Next in Line: No. 2 Haverford

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Rowan, No. 4 Swarthmore, No. 5 TCNJ

Notes: Moravian jumped to the No. 1 spot thanks to its head-to-head victory over Rowan in the Men’s College White 8k at the Paul Short Run. The Greyhounds’ top-3 runners all finished within ten seconds of each other. Haverford held steady at No. 2 for the fifth week in a row.

Mid-Atlantic Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Johns Hopkins

Next in Line: No. 2 Carnegie Mellon

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Lebanon Valley, No. 4 Dickinson, No. 5 Salisbury

Notes: Lebanon Valley and Dickinson went head-to-head in the Men’s College White 8k at the Paul Short Run and finished in that order. Thus, they were ranked summarily.

Mideast Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 RPI

Next in Line: No. 2 Middlebury

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Amherst, No. 4 Williams, No. 5 Wesleyan (Conn.)

Notes: Big changes swept through the Mideast Region as only RPI held its spot from Week 3. Middlebury climbed to No. 2 thanks to a fifth-place finish in the Men’s College White 8k at the Paul Short Run, one spot ahead of new No. 3 Amherst. Williams dropped one spot despite a perfect score at the Keene State Invitational, while Wesleyan (Conn.) improved one spot after taking seventh place at the NCAA DIII Pre-National Invitational.

Midwest Region

Projected AQ: No.1 Wartburg

Next in Line: No. 2 North Central (Ill.)

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Washington (Mo.), No. 4 UChicago, No. 5 Loras

Notes: UChicago leapfrogged Loras into the No. 4 spot. The Maroons ran well at the NCAA DIII Pre-National Invitational, finishing sixth, just two points behind No. 3 Washington (Mo.).

Niagara Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 SUNY Geneseo

Next in Line: No. 2 NYU

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 SUNY Brockport, No. 4 Hamilton, No. 5 Ithaca.

Notes: SUNY Geneseo usurps NYU for the No. 1 spot in Week 4. The Knights won the team title in the Men’s College White 8k at the Paul Short Run with 75 points and had a 39-second spread between its first and fifth runners. Charlie Wilson and Alex Hillyard went 2-4 overall.

North Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 UW-La Crosse

Next in Line: No. 2 UW-Whitewater

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 St. Olaf, No. 4 UW-Eau Claire, No. 5 UW-Stout

Notes: There were no changes to the top-5 teams in Week 4.

South Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Lynchburg

Next in Line: No. 2 Emory

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Washington & Lee, No. 4 Berry, No. 5 Oglethorpe

Notes: There were no changes to the top-5 teams in Week 4.

West Region

Projected AQ: No. 1 Pomona-Pitzer

Next in Line: No. 2 George Fox

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, No. 4 UC Santa Cruz, No. 5 Colorado College

Notes: George Fox leapfrogged Claremont-Mudd-Scripps into the No. 2 spot thanks to its third-place finish at the NCAA DIII Pre-National Invitational.