NEW ORLEANS – Cross country is rolling along!
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 Colby, No. 5 Bowdoin
Notes: Bates jumped from No. 6 to No. 3 after an impressive showing at the Maine State Championships. The Bobcats beat Colby and Bowdoin, who are now No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, for the team title.
Great Lakes Region
Projected AQ: No. 1 Calvin
Next in Line: No. 2 John Carroll
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Hope, No. 4 Trine, No. 5 Mount Union
Notes: Calvin leapfrogged John Carroll into the No. 1 spot in Week 2. The Knights starred this past weekend at the John McNichols Invitational, finishing seventh – just one point behind national No. 5 Lynchburg. Calvin averaged 25:30 on the 8k course in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Metro Region
Projected AQ: No. 1 Rowan
Next in Line: No. 2 Haverford
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Moravian, No. 4 TCNJ, No. 5 Swarthmore
Notes: There were no changes to the top-5 in Week 2, but Haverford impressed with a strong showing at the Main Line Invitational. The Fords, who received an individual title from Peter LaRochelle, finished third in the team standings, single digits away from NCAA DIs Penn & La Salle.
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: There were no changes to the top-5 in Week 2, but Johns Hopkins cemented its ranking atop the region with a sterling effort at the John McNichols Invitational.
Mideast Region
Projected AQ: No. 1 RPI
Next in Line: No. 2 Amherst
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Williams, No. 4 Middlebury, No. 5 St. Lawrence
Notes: There were no changes to the top-5 in Week 2, but we saw some inter-region competition this past weekend at the Purple Valley Classic. RPI picked up the win over Williams by a score of 22-34. The Engineers put their entire scoring lineup in the top-8.
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 Loras, No. 5 UChicago
Notes: There were no changes to the top-5 teams in Week 2, but four of the top-5 programs ran at the John McNichols Invitational: Wartburg finished first among Midwest Region programs (second overall) with North Central (Ill.) second regionally (third overall), Washington (Mo.) third (12th overall) and UChicago fourth (15th overall).
Niagara Region
Projected AQ: No. 1 NYU
Next in Line: No. 2 SUNY Geneseo
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 SUNY Brockport, No. 4 Hamilton, No. 5 Rochester (N.Y.).
Notes: Welcome to the top, NYU. The Violets stood out at the John McNichols Invitational, finishing fifth in the open race, beating several top-10 programs in the National Coaches’ Poll.
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: St. Olaf, UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stout fall in the order that they finished at the St. Olaf Invitational this past weekend. The Oles won the meet with 39 points, while the Blugolds took second with 55 points and the Blue Devils ended up third with 75 points.
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: Berry improved to No. 4 after finishing runner-up at the Rhodes Invitational.
West Region
Projected AQ: No. 1 Pomona-Pitzer
Next in Line: No. 2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 George Fox, No. 4 UC Santa Cruz, No. 5 Colorado College
Notes: Three of the top-4 squads squared off at the UCR Invitational. Pomona-Pitzer finished as the top NCAA DIII program with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps next up and UC Santa Cruz third.