2024 NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 5

NEW ORLEANS – No one is unbeatable!

Here is the Week 5 edition of the NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings for the 2024 season, as released on Monday 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 a team’s returning team 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 Championship Friday is set for Friday, November 15.

Great Lakes Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 2 Wisconsin

Also in the hunt: No. 3 Michigan State, No. 4 Toledo, No. 5 Ohio State

Notes: There were no changes to the top-4 teams, but Ohio States moved ahead of Michigan after beating them head-to-head at the Big Ten Championships, 226-262. The top-ranked team in the region, Notre Dame, won their first-ever ACC title over three-time defending national champion, NC State (Southeast No. 3). 

Mid-Atlantic Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 West Virginia, No. 2 Georgetown

Also in the hunt: No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 Princeton, No. 5 Villanova

Notes: After a runner-up finish at the Big 12 Championships, West Virginia moved to the top of the region, past Big East champions Georgetown. Led by individual champion Ceili McCabe, the Mountaineers had five runners inside the top-25 finishers, one of the only two teams to do so.

The Hoyas held off Providence (Northeast No. 1) at the BIG EAST Championships, where the Hoyas packed three runners into the top-7, and eight into the top-20. 

Penn State held firm at No. 3, while No. 4 Princeton moved past No. 5 Villanova following their Ivy League title. 

Midwest Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Oklahoma State, No. 2 Minnesota

Also in the hunt: No. 3 Northwestern, No. 4 Iowa State, No. 5 Oklahoma

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

Although there were no changes at the top of the region, there was a lot that went down over the weekend. The Oklahoma State Cowgirls stayed put at No. 1 for the fourth-straight week after placing fourth in a competitive Big 12 field behind a trio of teams ranked inside the top-10 nationally. 

Similar to Oklahoma State, No. 2 Minnesota placed fifth at the new-look Big Ten Championships behind four nationally-ranked teams, finishing just 13 points out of third. 

No. 3 Northwestern, No. 4 Iowa State, and No. 5 Oklahoma stayed put after solid showings at their respective conference championships.

Mountain Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 BYU, No. 2 Northern Arizona

Also in the hunt: No. 3 Utah, No. 4 New Mexico, No. 5 Utah Valley

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

The top-ranked Cougars won their second-straight Big 12 title, taking down three nationally-ranked programs along the way. The champs were dominant in every aspect as they had four runners inside the top-10, posting a nine-second pack time.

Northeast Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Providence, No. 2 Boston College

Also in the hunt: No. 3 Syracuse, No. 4 Harvard, No. 5 Connecticut

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

The Providence Friars held firm at No. 1 following a slim head-to-head loss to Georgetown at the BIG EAST Championships. Boston College was sixth in the new-look ACC, two spots – and 12 points – ahead of Syracuse in Cary, North Carolina.

South Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Tennessee

Also in the hunt: No. 3 Florida State, No. 4 Florida, No. 5 Lipscomb

Notes: After taking the SEC title back to Tuscaloosa, the Alabama women kept their spot at No. 1 in the South Region. With individual champion Doris Lemngole at the front, the Crimson Tide had four runners in the top-20, and were the only team to do so. 

Tennessee surged from No. 5 to No. 2 thanks to its runner-up finish at the SEC Championships, while Florida State, Florida, and Lipscomb round out the top-five after finishing seventh, third, and first at their respective conference championships.

South Central Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Arkansas, No. 2 Texas

Also in the hunt: No. 3 Tulane, No. 4 LSU, No. 5 Texas A&M

Notes: The Arkansas women moved back into No. 1 for the first time since Week 1, finishing just ten points out of third at the SEC Championships. The Razorbacks took down a plethora of in-region foes, including No. 2 Texas, No. 4 LSU, and No. 5 Texas A&M. 

Tulane, the only non-SEC team in the top-5, finished second at the AAC Championships behind Tulsa (Midwest No. 11).

Southeast Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Virginia

Also in the hunt: No. 3 NC State, No. 4 Furman, No. 5 Liberty

Notes: After an eventful ACC Championships, it was No. 1 North Carolina who emerged as the region’s best squad, taking down both Virginia and NC State, 121-152-160, respectively. The Tar Heels finished third overall, and lost on a tiebreaker to Stanford (West No. 3). 

Furman and Liberty round out the top-5 for the second consecutive week as both teams won their respective conference championships.

West Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Washington

Also in the hunt: No. 3 Stanford, No. 4 Gonzaga, No. 5 Portland

Notes: Wow. Last Friday, the top-ranked Oregon Ducks showed all of their cards at their first-ever Big Ten Championships over the weekend, and you could say it paid off. In her first race of the season, Silan Ayyildiz led the Ducks to the university’s first Big Ten title, thanks to a 1-2 finish with Maddy Elmore. Oregon took down familiar foe No. 2 Washington, 33-60, earning a big-time win over a national contender. 

After a strong runner-up at the WCC Championships, the Portland Pilots moved up from No. 9 to No. 5, while Stanford and Gonzaga fill out the No. 3 and No. 4 spots.

Maxx Bradley is a freelance writer with a deep passion for track and field and cross country. Over the past few years, he has dedicated himself to covering the sport he has loved since middle school, contributing to both FloTrack and MileSplit. Additionally, Maxx writes The Lead Pack, a newsletter focused on the sport throughout Kansas. He resides in the KC Metro area and works as a Communications Specialist at Baker University.