2025 NCAA DI Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Preseason

NEW ORLEANS – It’s almost time.

The collegiate cross country season officially gets underway on Friday, August 29.

We couldn’t think of a better way to welcome the new season than to release the preseason edition of the NCAA DI Men’s Cross Country Regional Rankings for 2025.

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 Friday set for November 14. That’s when we’ll learn which two teams from each region will automatically qualify for the upcoming 2025 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 22, in Columbia, Missouri.

Great Lakes Region

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

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Butler, No. 4 Michigan State, No. 5 Michigan

Notes: Wisconsin peaked at the right time last year as they finished fourth at the NCAA Championships on its home course. Now, the Badgers are projected to win the regional title come November, which would be its first regional crown since 2022. Wisconsin returns several key runners from last year’s squad, including top-20 regional finishers Matan Irvi and Micah Wilson.

Defending regional champion Notre Dame holds down the No. 2 spot in the preseason. The Irish, which sit ahead of No. 3 Butler, No. 4 Michigan State, and No. 5 Michigan, welcome back all seven runners from last year’s squad, namely Izaiah Steury and Dylan Throop.

Mid-Atlantic Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Princeton, No. 2 Georgetown

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Villanova, No. 4 Navy, No. 5 Penn State

Notes: 2024 runner-up Princeton is projected to win the Mid-Atlantic Region in 2025. The Tigers return five athletes from last year and add transfer Jacob Nenow, who competed for them on the track this past indoor and outdoor season. Georgetown, which finished third last year, is thought to be the second-best squad in the region this year with 2024 champion Villanova in third.

No. 4 Navy and No. 5 Penn State round out the top five.  

Midwest Region

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

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Tulsa, No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 5 Missouri

Notes: It will be the Wild, Wild Midwest in 2025.

Expect Iowa State and Oklahoma State to sit No. 1 and No. 2 in some order throughout the season. As for now, the Cyclones own the top spot going into the 2025 campaign behind a slew of returning athletes and the addition of Rodgers Rotich, who was an All-American in cross country back in 2023 and finished fourth in the 10,000 meters outdoors this past spring. The Cowboys are equally as deep and return NCAA top-11 performers Brian Musau and Denis Kipngetich, among others (Musau also swept the track-based 5k titles this past year).

No. 3 Tulsa, No. 4 Oklahoma, and No. 5 Missouri are all said to have improved and round out the top five.

Mountain Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 New Mexico, No. 2 BYU

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Colorado, No. 4 Northern Arizona, No. 5 Utah State

Notes: New Mexico is No. 1 in the Mountain Region for the first time in program history – and justifiably so. The Lobos return Habtom Samuel, the top athlete both in the region and nation, and have four other athletes who have gone sub-13:40 over the 5k distance. 2024 national champion BYU, which only returns two athletes from its title-winning squad last year, sits No. 2 to begin the season. The Cougars did add Stanford transfer Thomas Boyden.

Colorado, Northern Arizona and Utah State round out the top five.

Northeast Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Syracuse, No. 2 Harvard

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Iona, No. 4 Cornell, No. 5 Boston College

Notes: Syracuse, winners of three of the past four regional titles, headlines the preseason rankings. The defending champion Orange welcome back the region’s top returner Sam Lawler, who finished runner-up to Graham Blanks last year. Syracuse should also see a continued rise out of Benne Anderson, who finished eighth at the regional championships as a freshman.

Harvard, which sits second to start the season, lost Blanks but has plenty of depth waiting in the wings – even though a low stick like Blanks is hard to replace. The Crimson will look toward top-15 regional finishers Shane Brosnan (tenth) and Sam Burgess (15th) to lead the way.

No. 3 Iona, No. 4 Cornell, and No. 5 Boston College round out the top five.

South Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Ole Miss

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Georgia, No. 5 Lipscomb

Notes: Defending regional champion Alabama isn’t going anyway – at least for the time being. The Crimson Tide top the region thanks to a bevy of difference-makers. Alabama returns both Dismus Lokira and Dennis Kipruto, who finished first and third at the regional championships last year. The Crimson Tide also added Hamdani Benahmed and Timothy Kibet to the roster.

Ole Miss should be in the running to chase its first regional title since 2021. The Rebels, who rank ahead of No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Georgia, and No. 5 Lipscomb, are led by three runners with sub-13:40 PRs over the 5k distance: Toby Gillen, Misgina Kidus, and Evan Thornton-Sherman. 

South Central Region

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

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Texas A&M, No. 5 Incarnate Word

Notes: Arkansas headlines the preseason regional rankings for the 13th time since 2010. The Razorbacks, who romped to the regional title in 2024, return two top-15 finishers from that squad: runner-up Timothy Chesondin and 15th-place Brian Masai.

Tulane, which finished a surprise runner-up to Arkansas, sits second to begin the season ahead of No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Texas A&M, and No. 5 Incarnate Word. The Green Wave will be led by Bernard Cheruiyot, who was sixth last year at the regional championships. This is Tulane’s best preseason ranking in program history, topping its back-to-back thirds in 2023 and 2024.

Southeast Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Virginia, No. 2 Wake Forest

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Eastern Kentucky, No. 4 North Carolina, No. 5 Furman

Notes: Defending champion Virginia tops the preseason rankings in 2025. The Cavaliers return four top-20 finishers from last year’s squad, including top-10 athletes Gary Martin and Will Anthony. Andrew Jones and Nathan Mountain are back, too, and several transfers join the fray.

Wake Forest is projected to give Virginia a run for its money come November. The Demon Deacons, who sit ahead of No. 3 Eastern Kentucky, No. 4 North Carolina, and No. 5 Furman, welcome back two top-11 finishers from last year’s regional championships: Joseph O’Brien and Charlie Sprott. Don’t forget about Rocky Hansen, a two-time All-American on the track in 2025. 

West Region

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

Also in the Hunt: No. 3 California Baptist, No. 4 Washington, No. 5 Washington State

Notes: Depth is going to be top-ranked Stanford’s calling card in 2025. The Cardinal returns six of seven athletes from last year’s squad that finished third at the regional championships. Four Stanford athletes improved their 5k PRs on the track to sub-13:45, which will pay dividends on the grass circuit. Look for Lex Young to be a big contributor for the Cardinal in 2025.

Oregon welcomes back four of its seven runners from last year, including All-America performer Aiden Smith, Beni Balazs, and Simeon Birnbaum. The Ducks also added UCLA transfer Michael Mireles in the offseason (Mireles was runner-up at the Big Ten Championships last year).

No. 3 California Baptist, No. 4 Washington, and No. 5 Washington State round out the top five.