Conference Championships Shake Up the Division II Regional Rankings

NEW ORLEANS – Five new teams have assumed the mantle of being the top ranked squad in their respective regions in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II Regional Rankings following a very eventful conference championship weekend.

REGIONAL PDFs: Regional Summary | Week-by-Week | Division II XC Rankings Central

Western State (No. 2 nationally) took down defending national champion Adams State (No. 1) at the RMAC Championships and now in the South Central Region rankings to headline three new men’s teams atop their regions, while Minnesota Duluth’s women (No. 15) and Mansfield (receiving votes) took down top-10 national teams to take the top spots in their regions.

These moves will likely have a significant impact on the National Coaches Polls, which will be released Wednesday morning.

Led by National Athlete of the Week and RMAC Champion Vegard Olstad, Western State’s men took control of the  South Central Region for the first time this season. The Mountaineers accounted for seven of the top 10 finishers for a team score of 26 to Adams State’s 45. Adams State dropped to second in the region.

In the men’s Atlantic Region, Alex Monroe of Lock Haven won his third consecutive PSAC individual crown to lead the Bald Eagles (No. 12 nationally) to the team title over defending champion Edinboro (No. 9). Lock Haven moved to the top spot in the region as a result, while Edinboro fell to No. 2.

Rounding out the new top-ranked regional men’s  teams is Stonehill (receiving votes nationally) in the East Region. After falling to third last week from first in the region earlier this season, the Skyhawks won their third Northeast-10 title in a row to jump back to the top spot. Franklin Pierce (No. 19) finished runner-up to Stonehill and dropped from the No. 1 spot to  No. 2 as a result.

Minnesota Duluth’s women placed four runners in the top 10 at the NSIC Championships to earn the team title, led by Samantha Rivard and Hannah Olson in fourth and fifth, respectively. With a team score of 50, the Bulldogs were able to derail five-time defending champion Augustana (S.D.) (No. 4 nationally). The Vikings fell to No. 2 in the region as a result.

Mansfield’s women made the biggest leap of any team this week to No. 1, leaping four spots to the top of the Atlantic Region after taking down four teams ranked ahead of them in the National Coaches Poll. Led by third-place finisher Jessica Scordino and two other top-10 finishers, the Mountaineers took down Edinboro (No. 9 nationally), five-time defending champ Shippensburg (No. 13), Indiana (Pa.) (No. 18) and Seton Hill (No. 24), in that order — which also reflects the new regional ranking.

Elsewhere in the men’s rankings:

• Central Missouri (No. 15 nationally) moved to No. 2 in the Central Region after taking down Missouri Southern (No. 10) at the MIAA Championships.
• GRU Augusta moved two spots to No. 2 in the Southeast Region following a Beach Belt championship, displacing Columbus State from second to fourth in the region.
• Western Washington (No. 22 nationally) came just four points from upsetting Alaska Anchorage (No. 8), 32-35 at the GNAC Championships, and move just behind the Seawolves to third in the region.

More noteworthy moves in the women’s rankings:

• In the latest in a back-and-forth rivalry, Chico State (No. 7 nationally) moved from third to second in the West Region following a CCAA title, trading spots with Simon Fraser (No. 6). SFU finished runner-up to Alaska Anchorage at the GNAC Championships.
• Flagler claimed the Peach Belt title to move three spots to second in the Southeast Region. King moved up one spot to third following a Conference Carolinas title and Queens (N.C.) was up three to fourth after a SAC title.
• Saginaw Valley State jumped three spots to third in the Midwest Region after finishing runner-up to defending national champion Grand Valley State (No. 1 nationally) at the GLIAC Championships. The Cardinals finished ahead of Malone (No. 12), Hillsdale (No. 14) and Northern Michigan (No. 20).

NCAA Division II Regional Championships will be held November 9 & 10, and more information about host sites and dates for specific meets can be found at Regional Championships Central.

 

USTFCCCA NCAA DIVISION II
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY REGIONAL TEAM RANKINGS
2013 Week #6 — October 29
national rankings release: October 30
next regional release: none — final results, NCAA Regional Championships, Nov. 9 & 10
ATLANTIC Region (3 auto quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Lock Haven	Lock Haven, Pa.	PSAC	2
2	Edinboro	Edinboro, Pa.	PSAC	1
3	Shippensburg	Shippensburg, Pa.	PSAC	3
4	California (Pa.)	California, Pa.	PSAC	6
5	Slippery Rock	Slippery Rock, Pa.	PSAC	4
6	East Stroudsburg	East Stroudsburg, Pa.	PSAC	5
7	Indiana (Pa.)	Indiana, Pa.	PSAC	7
8	Wheeling Jesuit	Wheeling, W.Va.	Mountain East	10
9	Kutztown	Kutztown, Pa.	PSAC	9
10	West Virginia Wesleyan	Buckhannon, W.Va.	Mountain East	8
Regional Championship History — Last Five Champions: 2012: Edinboro, 2011: Edinboro, 2010: Lock Haven, 2009: Shippensburg, 2008: Lock Haven
CENTRAL Region (5 auto quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Augustana (S.D.)	Sioux Falls, S.D.	NSIC	1
2	Central Missouri	Warrensburg, Mo.	MIAA	3
3	Missouri Southern	Joplin, Mo.	MIAA	2
4	Sioux Falls	Sioux Falls, S.D.	NSIC	4
5	Southwest Baptist	Bolivar, Mo.	MIAA	6
6	Neb.-Kearney	Kearney, Neb.	MIAA	5
7	Harding	Searcy, Ark.	Great American	10
8	Northwest Missouri	Maryville, Mo.	MIAA	9
9	Pittsburg State	Pittsburg, Kan.	MIAA	8
10	Fort Hays State	Hays, Kan.	MIAA	7
Regional Championship History — Last Five Champions: 2012: Augustana (S.D.), 2011: Adams State, 2010: Adams State, 2009: Adams State, 2008: Adams State
EAST Region (3 auto quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Stonehill	Easton, Mass.	Northeast-10	3
2	Franklin Pierce	Rindge, N.H.	Northeast-10	1
3	Wilmington (Del.)	New Castle, Del.	CACC	4
4	American International	Springfield, Mass.	Northeast-10	2
5	Southern Connecticut	New Haven, Conn.	Northeast-10	NR
6	Adelphi	Garden City, N.Y.	Northeast-10	8
7	LIU Post	Brookville, N.Y.	East Coast	7
8	Merrimack	North Andover, Mass.	Northeast-10	5
9	Saint Rose	Albany, N.Y.	Northeast-10	9
10	Assumption	Worcester, Mass.	Northeast-10	6
Regional Championship History — Champions: 2012: American International, 2011: UMass Lowell, 2010: UMass Lowell, 2009: UMass Lowell
MIDWEST Region (4 auto quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Grand Valley State	Allendale, Mich.	GLIAC	1
2	Southern Indiana	Evansville, Ind.	GLVC	2
3	Malone	Canton, Ohio	GLIAC	3
4	Cedarville	Cedarville, Ohio	G-MAC	5
5	Ashland	Ashland, Ohio	GLIAC	4
6	Hillsdale	Hillsdale, Mich.	GLIAC	7
7	Lewis	Romeoville, Ill.	GLVC	8
8	Ferris State	Big Rapids, Mich.	GLIAC	6
9	Bellarmine	Louisville, Ky.	GLVC	NR
10	Indianapolis	Indianapolis, Ind.	GLVC	9
Regional Championship History — Champions: 2012: Grand Valley State, 2011: Grand Valley State, 2010: Grand Valley State, 2009: Grand Valley State
SOUTH Region (3 auto quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Florida Southern	Lakeland, Fla.	Sunshine	1
2	Alabama-Huntsville	Huntsville, Ala.	Gulf South	2
3	Saint Leo	Saint Leo, Fla.	Sunshine	3
4	West Florida	Pensacola, Fla.	Gulf South	4
5	Nova Southeastern	Davie, Fla.	Sunshine	5
6	Tampa	Tampa, Florida	Sunshine	6
7	Florida Tech	Melbourne, Fla.	Sunshine	7
8	West Alabama	Livingston, Ala.	Gulf South	8
9	Valdosta State	Valdosta, Ga.	Gulf South	10
10	Morehouse	Atlanta, Ga.	SIAC	9
Regional Championship History — Champions: 2012: Nova Southeastern, 2011: Alabama-Huntsville, 2010: Harding, 2009: Harding
SOUTH CENTRAL Region (6 auto quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Western State	Gunnison, Colo.	RMAC	2
2	Adams State	Alamosa, Colo.	RMAC	1
3	Colorado Mines	Golden, Colo.	RMAC	3
4	West Texas A&M	Canyon, Texas	Lone Star	4
5	New Mexico Highlands	Las Vegas, N.M.	RMAC	6
6	Metro State	Denver, Colo.	RMAC	5
7	UC-Colorado Springs	Colorado Springs, Colo.	RMAC	7
8	Eastern New Mexico	Portales, N.M.	Lone Star	9
9	Texas A&M-Commerce	Commerce, Texas	Lone Star	NR
10	Dallas Baptist	Dallas, Texas	Heartland Conference	NR
Regional Championship History — Champions: 2012: Adams State, 2011: Eastern New Mexico, 2010: Central Missouri, 2009: Missouri Southern
SOUTHEAST Region (3 auto quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Mount Olive	Mount Olive, N.C.	Conf. Carolinas	1
2	GRU Augusta	Augusta, Ga.	Peach Belt	4
3	King	Bristol, Tenn.	Conf. Carolinas	3
4	Columbus State	Columbus, Ga.	Peach Belt	2
5	Mars Hill	Mars Hill, N.C.	SAC	5
6	UNC Pembroke	Pembroke, N.C.	Peach Belt	7
7	Queens (N.C.)	Charlotte, N.C.	SAC	NR
8	Flagler	St. Augustine, Fla.	Peach Belt	6
9	Georgia College	Milledgeville, Ga.	Peach Belt	10
10	North Greenville	Tigerville, S.C.	Conf. Carolinas	NR
Regional Championship History — Champions: 2012: Columbus State, 2011: Queens (N.C.), 2010: Queens (N.C.), 2009: Queens (N.C.)
WEST Region (5 auto quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Chico State	Chico, Calif.	CCAA	1
2	Alaska Anchorage	Anchorage, Alaska	GNAC	2
3	Western Washington	Bellingham, Wash.	GNAC	4
4	Cal Poly Pomona	Pomona, Calif.	CCAA	3
5	UC San Diego	La Jolla, Calif.	CCAA	6
6	Cal Baptist	Riverside, Calif.	PacWest	7
7	SF State	San Francisco, Calif.	CCAA	9
8	Simon Fraser	Burnaby, B.C.	GNAC	NR
9	Montana St.-Billings	Billings, Mont.	GNAC	5
10	Humboldt State	Arcata, Calif.	CCAA	8
Regional Championship History — Last Five Champions: 2012: Chico State, 2011: Alaska Anchorage, 2010: Alaska Anchorage, 2009: Chico State

 

USTFCCCA NCAA DIVISION II
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY REGIONAL TEAM RANKINGS
2013 Week #6 — October 29
national rankings release: October 30
next regional release: none — final results, NCAA Regional Championships, Nov. 9 & 10
ATLANTIC Region (4 auto quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Mansfield	Mansfield, Pa.	PSAC	5
2	Edinboro	Edinboro, Pa.	PSAC	1
3	Shippensburg	Shippensburg, Pa.	PSAC	2
4	Indiana (Pa.)	Indiana, Pa.	PSAC	3
5	Seton Hill	Greensburg, Pa.	PSAC	4
6	Slippery Rock	Slippery Rock, Pa.	PSAC	7
7	Bloomsburg	Bloomsburg, Pa.	PSAC	9
8	California (Pa.)	California, Pa.	PSAC	6
9	Kutztown	Kutztown, Pa.	PSAC	8
10	West Chester	West Chester, Pa.	PSAC	10
Regional Championship History — Last Five Champions: 2012: Shippensburg, 2011: Shippensburg, 2010: Shippensburg, 2009: Shippensburg, 2008: Shippensburg
CENTRAL Region (4 auto quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Minnesota Duluth	Duluth, Minn.	NSIC	2
2	Augustana (S.D.)	Sioux Falls, S.D.	NSIC	1
3	Southwest Baptist	Bolivar, Mo.	MIAA	5
4	Winona State	Winona, Minn.	NSIC	7
5	Neb.-Kearney	Kearney, Neb.	MIAA	6
6	U-Mary	Bismarck, N.D.	NSIC	4
7	Pittsburg State	Pittsburg, Kan.	MIAA	3
8	Harding	Searcy, Ark.	Great American	9
9	MSU Moorhead	Moorhead, Minn.	NSIC	NR
10	Minnesota State	Mankato, Minn.	NSIC	8
Regional Championship History — Last Five Champions: 2012: Augustana (S.D.), 2011: Western State, 2010: Adams State, 2009: Adams State, 2008: Adams State
EAST Region (3 auto quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Stonehill	Easton, Mass.	Northeast-10	1
2	Bentley	Waltham, Mass.	Northeast-10	2
3	Merrimack	North Andover, Mass.	Northeast-10	3
4	Southern New Hampshire	Manchester, N.H.	Northeast-10	4
5	Saint Rose	Albany, N.Y.	Northeast-10	5
6	Adelphi	Garden City, N.Y.	Northeast-10	10
7	Le Moyne	Syracuse, N.Y.	Northeast-10	NR
8	Nyack	Nyack, N.Y.	CACC	NR
9	Philadelphia	Philadelphia, Pa.	CACC	7
10	LIU Post	Brookville, N.Y.	East Coast	8
Regional Championship History — Champions: 2012: Stonehill, 2011: Stonehill, 2010: Stonehill, 2009: Stonehill
MIDWEST Region (4 auto quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Grand Valley State	Allendale, Mich.	GLIAC	1
2	Southern Indiana	Evansville, Ind.	GLVC	2
3	Saginaw Valley State	Bay City, Mich.	GLIAC	6
4	Malone	Canton, Ohio	GLIAC	3
5	Hillsdale	Hillsdale, Mich.	GLIAC	4
6	UW-Parkside	Kenosha, Wis.	GLVC	8
7	Lewis	Romeoville, Ill.	GLVC	7
8	Northern Michigan	Marquette, Mich.	GLIAC	5
9	Wayne State (Mich.)	Detroit, Mich.	GLIAC	NR
10	Ferris State	Big Rapids, Mich.	GLIAC	9
Regional Championship History — Champions: 2012: Grand Valley State, 2011: Grand Valley State, 2010: Grand Valley State, 2009: Grand Valley State
SOUTH Region (3 auto quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Tampa	Tampa, Florida	Sunshine	1
2	Alabama-Huntsville	Huntsville, Ala.	Gulf South	2
3	Nova Southeastern	Davie, Fla.	Sunshine	3
4	West Florida	Pensacola, Fla.	Gulf South	4
5	Saint Leo	Saint Leo, Fla.	Sunshine	5
6	West Georgia	Carrollton, Ga.	Gulf South	7
7	North Alabama	Florence, Ala.	Gulf South	6
8	Florida Tech	Melbourne, Fla.	Sunshine	8
9	Valdosta State	Valdosta, Ga.	Gulf South	9
10	West Alabama	Livingston, Ala.	Gulf South	NR
Regional Championship History — Champions: 2012: Tampa, 2011: Tampa, 2010: Tampa, 2009: Tampa
SOUTH CENTRAL Region (6 auto quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Adams State	Alamosa, Colo.	RMAC	1
2	Western State	Gunnison, Colo.	RMAC	2
3	Metro State	Denver, Colo.	RMAC	3
4	UC-Colorado Springs	Colorado Springs, Colo.	RMAC	4
5	West Texas A&M	Canyon, Texas	Lone Star	6
6	Dallas Baptist	Dallas, Texas	Heartland Conference	9
7	Tarleton State	Stephenville, Texas	Lone Star	8
8	Midwestern State	Wichita Falls, Texas	Lone Star	5
9	Colorado Mines	Golden, Colo.	RMAC	10
10	Eastern New Mexico	Portales, N.M.	Lone Star	7
Regional Championship History — Champions: 2012: Adams State, 2011: Midwestern State, 2010: Pittsburg State, 2009: Missouri Southern
SOUTHEAST Region (3 auto quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Wingate	Wingate, N.C.	SAC	1
2	Flagler	St. Augustine, Fla.	Peach Belt	5
3	King	Bristol, Tenn.	Conf. Carolinas	4
4	Queens (N.C.)	Charlotte, N.C.	SAC	7
5	Columbus State	Columbus, Ga.	Peach Belt	2
6	Clayton State	Morrow, Ga.	Peach Belt	8
7	UNC Pembroke	Pembroke, N.C.	Peach Belt	3
8	Mount Olive	Mount Olive, N.C.	Conf. Carolinas	6
9	Mars Hill	Mars Hill, N.C.	SAC	NR
10	Montevallo	Montevallo, Ala.	Peach Belt	NR
Regional Championship History — Champions: 2012: Columbus State, 2011: Queens (N.C.), 2010: Queens (N.C.), 2009: Columbus State
WEST Region (5 auto quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Alaska Anchorage	Anchorage, Alaska	GNAC	1
2	Chico State	Chico, Calif.	CCAA	3
3	Simon Fraser	Burnaby, B.C.	GNAC	2
4	Cal State Stanislaus	Turlock, Calif.	CCAA	4
5	Cal Poly Pomona	Pomona, Calif.	CCAA	NR
6	UC San Diego	La Jolla, Calif.	CCAA	5
7	Seattle Pacific	Seattle, Wash.	GNAC	NR
8	Western Washington	Bellingham, Wash.	GNAC	6
9	Cal Baptist	Riverside, Calif.	PacWest	10
10	Humboldt State	Arcata, Calif.	CCAA	7
Regional Championship History — Champions: 2012: Chico State, 2011: Alaska Anchorage, 2010: Alaska Anchorage, 2009: Alaska Anchorage