NEW ORLEANS – The weather is cooling, but racing is heating up.
Here is the Week 2 edition of the NCAA DIII Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings for the 2024 season, as released on Tuesday by the U.S. Track and 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 Wellesley
Notes: MIT, Tufts, and Bates continue to dominate the top-3 in the East Region. Bowdoin’s impressive runner-up team finish behind Bates (No. 3) at the Maine State Championship on September 21 pushed it to No. 4. The Polar Bears 4-9-10-11-12 finish scored them 46 points. Wellesley leapfrogs former No. 5 Suffolk after narrowly placing sixth at the Cardinal Invitational. The Blue scored 170 points, with the Rams placing just 10 points behind for seventh.
GREAT LAKES REGION
Projected AQ: No. 1 Calvin
Next in Line: No. 2 DePauw
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 John Carroll, No. 4 Trine, No. 5 Ohio Wesleyan
Notes: There was major movement in the Great Lakes rankings this week. Calvin takes over the No. 1 rank after finishing eighth at the John McNichols Invitational, with one athlete in the top-25. Ohio Wesleyan proved its mettle after placing third at the All Ohio Intercollegiate XC Classic.
METRO REGION
Projected AQ: No. 1 Rowan
Next in Line: No. 2 TCNJ
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Stockton, No. 4 Moravian, No. 5 Widener
Notes: There were no changes to the top-5 in Week 2.
MID-ATLANTIC REGION
Projected AQ: No. 1 Johns Hopkins
Next in Line: No. 2 Carnegie Mellon
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Misericordia, No. 4 Gettysburg, No. 5 Dickinson
Note: There were no changes to the top-5 in Week 2.
MIDEAST REGION
Projected AQ: No. 1 Amherst
Next in Line: No. 2 Middlebury
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Williams, No. 4 Connecticut College, No. 5 Vassar
Note: There were no changes to the top-5 in Week 2.
MIDWEST REGION
Projected AQ: No. 1 UChicago
Next in Line: No. 2 Washington (Mo.)
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Central (Iowa), No. 4 Wartburg, No. 5 Loras
Notes: There were no changes to the top-5 in Week 2. However, the Chicago women had a strong fourth-place finish at the John McNichols Invitational, with senior Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel leading the team with an individual fourth-place finish.
NIAGARA REGION
Projected AQ: No.1 NYU
Next in Line: No. 2 SUNY Geneseo
Also in the Hunt: No.3 Hamilton, No. 4 Rochester (N.Y.), No. 5 Ithaca
Notes: Rochester (N.Y.) vaults over Ithaca for the No. 4 spot after placing fifth at its home Yellowjacket XC Invitational. Hamilton (No. 3) placed 23 points ahead for fourth, with Ithaca placing 63 points behind the Yellowjackets for sixth.
NORTH REGION
Projected AQ: No. 1 Carleton
Next in Line: No. 2 UW-La Crosse
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 St. Olaf, No. 4 UW-Eau Claire, No. 5 UW-Oshkosh
Notes: Week 2 saw some major changes to the top-5. Carleton had a dominating win versus St. Olaf (No. 3) and UW-Eau Claire (No. 4) at the St. Olaf Invitational. The Knights not only captured the individual win courtesy of junior Hannah Preisser, but had the runner-up finisher in senior Sophie McManus. UW-Eau Claire’s third-place finish at the same invitational was good enough to move the Blugolds to No. 4 in the Week 2 rankings.
SOUTH REGION
Projected AQ: No.1 Emory
Next in Line: No. 2 Lynchburg
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Washington and Lee, No. 4 Catholic, No. 5 Shenandoah
Notes: Emory opened eyes with its win at the Queens City Invite, having a 45-second spread between the No. 1 and No. 5 runners. Shenandoah cracks into the top-5 after finishing second behind Dickinson at the SU Twilight Open.
WEST REGION
Projected AQ: No. 1 Colorado College
Next in Line: No. 2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 George Fox, No. 4 UC-Santa Cruz, No. 5 Pomona-Pitzer
Notes: Colorado College didn’t come to play at the John McNichols Invitational. The Tigers placed third behind NCAA DI teams Michigan and Indiana State. The Tigers placed ahead of UChicago and NYU, who are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the national rankings.
Gwyneth E. Young is a junior at Elizabethtown College majoring in Criminal Justice and Communications. Young, who is serving as a communications intern for the USTFCCCA this fall, competes for the Blue Jays in cross country and track & field.