NEW ORLEANS – The winds of change are starting to blow.
Here is the newest edition of the 2024 NCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, which was released on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). There were a plethora of changes after the first big weekend of the regular season.
National Coaches’ Polls are presented by AthleticNET.
NCAA Division III — Men’s Cross Country
This Week’s National Top Five
UW-La Crosse
Wartburg
UW-Whitewater
North Central (Ill.)
Pomona-Pitzer
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Top-ranked UW-La Crosse and second-ranked Wartburg held their spots for the third consecutive week and for good reason. Both the Eagles and the Knights starred at the John McNichols Invitational, which served as a pre-Pre-National Invitational and a de facto course preview for the upcoming NCAA Cross Country Championships. UW-La Crosse captured the team title with 52 points as it put four runners in the top-15. Wartburg finished a clear second with 84 points, 32 fewer than new No. 4 North Central (Ill.).
NYU made the biggest jump of the week, soaring 12 spots from No. 18 to No. 6. That’s the best ranking for the Violets since they were fifth in 2010. NYU showcased strong pack running at the John McNichols Invitational as its top-4 runners finished 23-28-32-36 within ten seconds of each other. The Violets finished fifth in the team standings, ahead of No. 7 Johns Hopkins and former No. 5 Lynchburg (The Hornets tumbled 12 spots to No. 17).
Three other programs improved multiple spots: Calvin, Tufts and Washington and Lee. The Knights, who climbed from No. 23 to No. 15, were eighth at the John McNichols Invitational. The Jumbos, who went from No. 21 to No. 19, finished runner-up at the Wesleyan Invitational behind No. 13 Amherst. The Generals, who marched from No. 29 to No. 24, were the ninth best NCAA DIII team at the John McNichols Invitational.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 23, because that’s when the nation’s best teams will descend upon the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana, for the 2024 NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships.