Monday, November 16, 2015

New Mexico No Longer Unanimous in Coaches’ Poll

New Mexico No Longer Unanimous in Coaches’ Poll


Courtesyt By Tyler Mayforth, USTFCCCA
November 16, 2015   



NEW ORLEANS – The dust has nearly settled on the 2015 NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country season. This coming Saturday will mark the final day of the season as 31 teams will vie for the national championship in Louisville, Kentucky.
National PDFs: Top 30 Summary | Week-by-Week 2015 | Week-by-Week All Time
Regional Results: Championship Central | Recap
MORE: NCAA DI Polls & Rankings Home | Men’s National Coaches’ Poll
According to the most recent National Coaches’ Poll, released Monday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), New Mexico is still the clear-cut favorite to win the championship, but is no longer unanimous. The Lobos can thank No. 2 Colorado for that.

NCAA Division I National Coaches Poll Top 5 – Women

1)New Mexico)2)Colorado3)Arkansas4)Stanford)5)Stanford)
New MexicoColoradoArkansasProvidenceOregon
View Complete Women’s National Coaches Poll
Last Friday, the Buffaloes beat New Mexico by one point for the Mountain Region title and took two first-place votes from Joe Franklin’s team a few days later. This marks the first time since the Week 3 poll that the Lobos shared first-place votes.
Elsewhere in the poll, dominant or surprising efforts at regional championships were rewarded – such was the case when it came to No. 4 Providence, No. 8 Boise State and No. 11 Oklahoma State.
The Friars, led by a second-place finish by Sarah Collins, ran away with the Northeast Region crown. Providence scored 49 points compared to runner-up Syracuse’s 92 and appears to be a solid contender to podium in five days.
And thanks to another win by standout freshman Allie Ostrander and a strong team effort behind her, the Broncos nearly authored another shocking upset – this time at the expense of No. 5 Oregon. Boise State romped to a team title at the Roy Griak Invitational earlier this season and would have added more hardware to its trophy case last Friday if the Ducks’ depth didn’t prevail.
The Cowgirls, ranked No. 30 in the preseason, continued their late-season surge. Fresh off a historic win at the Big 12 Championships, Oklahoma State made quick work of the field in Lawrence, Kansas for the Midwest Region crown. Three Cowgirls finished in the top-10 and Oklahoma State scored 51 points to runner-up Iowa State’s 98.
While the rest of the poll more or less remained the same other than an eight-spot jump by Vanderbilt, there were two new additions to the back end – Tulsa (tied for 27th) and San Francisco (No. 29). Both the Golden Hurricane and the Dons earned at-large berths to NCAAs following strong races at their respective regional meets. This is the first time since 2010 that Tulsa is ranked and San Francisco’s first appearance in the poll since 2013.
All but one team in the final poll of the season will contend for the NCAA title at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park this Saturday. No. 30 North Carolina was left out of the mix after it finished third in a cutthroat Southeast Region.

USTFCCCA NCAA Division I

Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll

2015 Week #7 — November 16 (pre-championships)

next poll: none, NCAA Championships, November 21 (Louisville, Ky.)
RankInstitution (FPV)PointsOverall (vs Ranked)RegionConferenceCross Country Coach (Yr*)
Last Week
1New Mexico (10)35882-1 (25-1)MountainMountain WestJoe Franklin (9th)
1
2Colorado (2)34974-1 (16-1)MountainPac-12Mark Wetmore (21st)
2
3Arkansas32779-1 (19-1)South CentralSECLance Harter (26th)
3
4Providence318107-12 (18-4)NortheastBig EastRay Treacy (32nd)
4
5Oregon31397-3 (19-3)WestPac-12Robert Johnson (4th)
4
6Michigan287109-1 (17-1)Great LakesBig TenMike McGuire (24th)
7
7Virginia28693-2 (22-2)SoutheastACCTodd Morgan (4th)
6
8Boise State28195-7 (21-7)WestMountain WestCorey Ihmels (3rd)
9
9Penn State25686-11 (15-11)Mid-AtlanticBig TenJohn Gondak (2nd)
10
9NC State25695-6 (21-6)SoutheastACCLaurie Henes (10th)
8
11Oklahoma State24268-0 (4-0)MidwestBig 12Dave Smith (7th)
13
12Washington22178-13 (17-13)WestPac-12Greg Metcalf (14th)
12
13Stanford219100-10 (12-10)WestPac-12Chris Miltenberg (4th)
11
14Georgetown20994-10 (6-10)Mid-AtlanticBig EastMichael Smith (4th)
14
15Notre Dame18583-16 (11-16)Great LakesACCMatt Sparks (2nd)
15
16Iowa State17991-26 (15-14)MidwestBig 12Andrea Grove-McDonough (3rd)
16
17Michigan State15885-19 (9-19)Great LakesBig TenWalt Drenth (12th)
18
18Syracuse15393-15 (9-15)NortheastACCChris Fox (11th)
19
19Vanderbilt13175-22 (4-20)SouthSECSteve Keith (10th)
27
20Mississippi State12393-7 (6-7)SouthSECHouston Franks (7th)
17
21Utah12178-15 (6-15)MountainPac-12Kyle Kepler (11th)
20
22Princeton11868-14 (8-14)Mid-AtlanticIvyPete Farrell (38th)
23
23Minnesota10697-24 (7-24)MidwestBig TenSarah Hopkins (3rd)
21
24BYU10258-15 (12-15)MountainWest CoastPatrick Shane (34th)
24
25Weber State6682-14 (4-14)MountainBig SkyPaul Pilkington (9th)
25
25Villanova6676-17 (1-15)Mid-AtlanticBig EastGina Procaccio (16th)
26
27Tulsa2558-31 (0-21)MidwestAmericanSteve Gulley (14th)
NR
27Gonzaga2545-10 (2-9)WestWest CoastPatrick Tyson (9th)
30
29San Francisco2277-33 (2-19)WestWest CoastHelen Lehman-Winters (13th)
NR
30North Carolina1767-25 (2-23)SoutheastACCMark VanAlstyne (4th)
28
Others Receiving Votes: Kansas 15, Texas 14, William and Mary 11, Wisconsin 7, Brown 6, West Virginia 5, Boston College 2, Yale 1
Dropped Out: No. 22 William and Mary, No. 29 Yale
Win-loss record reflective of results in varsity competition versus DI opponents starting September 25; records in () are results against ranked teams.
(* year as effective coach of that team in women’s cross country)

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