With teams headed to NCAA Regional Championships on Friday, there is always the chance that we could see an upset or two. Unlikely teams could sneak their way into the national conversation with a top-two finish at their region championships. We've identified some of those contenders, and we'll be keeping an eye on them in our 2024 Upset Watch.

• Get The Latest Cross Country Rankings At FloTrack
• 8 Stars To Watch At NCAA Cross Country Regionals 2024
• New Mexico Stars, BYU Women Surge To Top of Rankings
• Predictions: NCAA Division I Regional Championships

Great Lakes Region - Butler Men

The Butler men have a tendency to fly under the radar, but their resume is relatively strong. In fact, the squad has taken down a number of ranked opponents in 2024

At Wisconsin Pre-Nationals, Butler finished 16th and ahead of Iona and Michigan, who are both currently ranked in the FloTrack College XC Rankings Presented by HOKA. Then at the Big EAST Cross Country Championships, Butler finished second to No. 15 Villanova. They were just six points back.

It’ll be difficult to knock off Wisconsin and/or Notre Dame, but if either squad missteps, Butler would be in the catbird seat.

Mid-Atlantic Region - Penn State Women

Can the Penn State women steal the show on Friday? With West Virginia and Georgetown considered the favorites in the Mid-Atlantic, Penn State has gone overlooked.

But the Nittany Lions could prove ferocious on Friday. At Nuttycombe, the squad finished 10th, and though they were over 100-points back from Georgetown, that delta would obviously close in a less competitive field.

In fact, at the Princeton Fall Classic, Penn State was just 69 points behind Georgetown. The No. 18 Nittany Lions likely need something to go their way, but they could secure an auto-bid with a little bit of luck.

South Region - Auburn Men

I really like Auburn’s odds to score an upset in the South Region to secure one of the two automatic qualifying spots.

The unranked Tigers have been right in the mix throughout the season. To qualify for the NCAA Championship automatically, they’ll have to beat Ole Miss and Tennessee, with Alabama expected to secure the first automatic slot.

To start the year, Auburn finished third behind Stanford and Tennessee at the Gans Creek Classic. They were only four points behind Tennessee and beat Ole Miss by a large margin. Then at the SEC Championships, Auburn finished in seventh, six points back from Tennessee and 53 back from Ole Miss. The 1-2 duo of Nickson Chebii and Ryan Kinnane has been important for Auburn. With sophomore Max Hardin in that group, Auburn could shock a few other teams.

Great Lakes Region - Toledo Women

The Toledo Women are dangerous.

Mercy Kinyanjui is a legit contender for the individual title, and with that, she provides an extremely valuable low stick for Toledo. In a compressed field, every point is going to count if Toledo has any shot of squeaking past one of the top teams in the region.

Toledo was 19th at Wisconsin Pre-Nationals, while Wisconsin was eighth on their home course. The Rockets have continued to improve and they also just dominated the MAC Championship.

Other Potential Unexpected Upsets

• South Central Region - Incarnate Word Men
• Southeast Region - Furman Men
• Southeast Region - Eastern Kentucky Men
• Midwest Region - Northwestern Women
• South Region - Lipscomb Women
• Southeast Region - Furman Women

How Do Teams, Runners Qualify For NCAA D1 Cross Country National Championship?

For men's and women's, the top two teams in each regional — there are nine in total — automatically qualify for the championships, which equates to 18 automatic qualifiers. 

The NCAA DI Cross Country Subcommittee will then choose 13 at-large teams to fill out the 31 team field.

Individually,  the first four finishers who do not belong to an automatic qualifier or an at-large team automatically advance to the championships. All four finishers have to finish in the top 25 within their region. Altogether, 36 individuals automatically qualify and two are chosen at-large, making 38 the grand total. The two at-large selections are the highest placing individuals at a regional that were not automatic qualifiers.

When Is The NCAA D1 Cross Country Championships 2024; NCAA XC Championship Schedule

The Cross Country Championships are at 10:20 a.m. (women’s 6000m) and 11:10 a.m. (men’s 10000m) on Nov. 23. The Division II and Division III Championships will be held on the same day, though start times have not yet been determined.

Where Are The NCAA D1 Cross Country Championships 2024?

The NCAA Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Division I National Championships are at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Verona, Washington. They will be hosted by the University of Wisconsin.

Here are where all divisions are being held: 

• Division I: Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Verona, Wisconsin
• Division II: Arcade Creek Cross Country Course in Sacramento, California
• Division III: LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana.

FloTrack Is Streaming Cross Country High School State Meets All November

November is also the month of high school cross country championship meets. Check the FloTrack schedule for a list of all the state championships streaming on FloTrack

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