DII Regional Shake-Ups Foreshadow Significant National Poll Shuffle

By Kyle Terwillegar, USTFCCCA

October 4, 2016   

NEW ORLEANS – With only a month left until NCAA Division II Regional Championships weekend, three new teams moved to No. 1 in the newest Regional Rankings – including a very big shakeup featuring national top-five teams.
Tuesday’s new rankings from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) demoted reigning national men’s champion and national No. 1 Colorado Mines to No. 2 in the South Central Region, promoting perennial power Adams State (national No. 3) to the region’s top spot.
The move will surely have implications in the new National Coaches’ Poll due out Wednesday at noon ET. Both the men’s and women’s polls will be unveiled live via a special mini-episode of the “Cross Country U” podcast on USTFCCCA.org.
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Both Adams State and Mines were in action this weekend at Paul Short and Arkansas, respectively. The Grizzlies posted an impressive third-place finish among several nationally-ranked DI schools in the top race at Paul Short, while the Orediggers took the non-DI title at the Chile Pepper Festival over Central Region No. 1 Augustana (S.D.).
Also undergoing a shift with national top-15 implications was the top of the Atlantic Region, which is now occupied by Lock Haven (national No. 16). The Eagles finished 20th in the top race at Paul Short, while former regional favorite Shippensburg (national No. 8) dropped to No. 2 despite winning the second race at Paul Short.
It was a busy weekend in the Atlantic as it also underwent a change at the top in the women’s rankings. Shippensburg moved to No. 1 after finishing second in the second race at Paul Short, while idle Bloomsburg dropped to No. 2.
Numerous teams around the nation moved into qualifying position in their respective regions based on the results of this weekend’s meets. Remember, only a certain number of teams per region will move on to the NCAA Championships, based on the results of last year’s NCAA Championships.
Moving into potential qualifying territory for the men were Northwest Missouri (Central), Walsh (Midwest), Saint Leo (South), and Cal Baptist (West).
Temporarily positioning themselves on the right side of the bubble for the women were Southwest Baptist (Central) and CSU-Pueblo (South Central).
The United States (as well as Canada and Puerto Rico) is split into eight distinct regions for both the men and the women, combining for 16 total. Teams qualify to the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships on November 19 based on their finishes at these regional championships on November 5-6, with each region allotted a specific number of NCAA Championship berths based on 2015 results.
These rankings aim to predict how teams will fare within those regional championship races. They 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 predicted team finishes at the NCAA Regional Championships.

USTFCCCA NCAA Division II
Men’s Cross Country Regional Team Rankings
2016 Week #4 — October 4
national poll release: October 5
next regional release: October 11
ATLANTIC Region (4 Auto Quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Lock Haven	Lock Haven, Pa.	PSAC	2
2	Shippensburg	Shippensburg, Pa.	PSAC	1
3	Edinboro	Edinboro, Pa.	PSAC	3
4	Bloomsburg	Bloomsburg, Pa.	PSAC	4
5	Kutztown	Kutztown, Pa.	PSAC	5
6	East Stroudsburg	East Stroudsburg, Pa.	PSAC	8
7	Concord	Concord, W. Va.	Mountain East	6
8	Charleston (W.Va.)	Charleston, W.Va.	Mountain East	7
9	Indiana (Pa.)	Indiana, Pa.	PSAC	NR
10	Slippery Rock	Slippery Rock, Pa.	PSAC	9
Regional Championship History — Last Five Champions: 2015: Shippensburg, 2014: Lock Haven, 2013: Lock Haven, 2012: Edinboro, 2011: Edinboro
CENTRAL Region (4 Auto Quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Augustana (S.D.)	Sioux Falls, S.D.	NSIC	1
2	Missouri Southern	Joplin, Mo.	MIAA	2
3	MSU Moorhead	Moorhead, Minn.	NSIC	3
4	Northwest Missouri	Maryville, Mo.	MIAA	7
5	East Central (Okla.)	Ada, Okla.	Great American	6
6	Fort Hays State	Hays, Kan.	MIAA	5
7	Harding	Searcy, Ark.	Great American	4
8	Lindenwood	St. Charles, Mo.	MIAA	10
9	Southwest Baptist	Bolivar, Mo.	MIAA	8
10	Pittsburg State	Pittsburg, Kan.	MIAA	9
Regional Championship History — Last Five Champions: 2015: Augustana (S.D.), 2014: Augustana (S.D.), 2013: Augustana (S.D.), 2012: Augustana (S.D.), 2011: Adams State
EAST Region (3 Auto Quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	American International	Springfield, Mass.	Northeast-10	1
2	Bentley	Waltham, Mass.	Northeast-10	2
3	Stonehill	Easton, Mass.	Northeast-10	3
4	Southern New Hampshire	Manchester, N.H.	Northeast-10	4
5	Adelphi	Garden City, N.Y.	Northeast-10	5
6	Roberts Wesleyan	Chili, N.Y.	East Coast	6
7	Franklin Pierce	Rindge, N.H.	Northeast-10	7
8	Wilmington (Del.)	New Castle, Del.	CACC	8
9	Merrimack	North Andover, Mass.	Northeast-10	9
10	Le Moyne	Syracuse, N.Y.	Northeast-10	10
Regional Championship History — Last Five Champions: 2015: American International, 2014: American International, 2013: Stonehill, 2012: American International, 2011: UMass Lowell
MIDWEST Region (5 Auto Quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Grand Valley State	Allendale, Mich.	GLIAC	1
2	Southern Indiana	Evansville, Ind.	GLVC	3
3	Hillsdale	Hillsdale, Mich.	GLIAC	2
4	Saginaw Valley State	Bay City, Mich.	GLIAC	4
5	Walsh	North Canton, Ohio	GLIAC	6
6	Bellarmine	Louisville, Ky.	GLVC	5
7	Lewis	Romeoville, Ill.	GLVC	7
8	Ashland	Ashland, Ohio	GLIAC	9
9	UW-Parkside	Kenosha, Wis.	GLVC	8
10	Ferris State	Big Rapids, Mich.	GLIAC	10
Regional Championship History — Last Five Champions: 2015: Grand Valley State, 2014: Grand Valley State, 2013: Grand Valley State, 2012: Grand Valley State, 2011: Grand Valley State
SOUTH Region (3 Auto Quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Lee (Tenn.)	Cleveland, Tenn.	Gulf South	1
2	Florida Southern	Lakeland, Fla.	Sunshine	2
3	Saint Leo	Saint Leo, Fla.	Sunshine	4
4	West Florida	Pensacola, Fla.	Gulf South	9
5	Alabama-Huntsville	Huntsville, Ala.	Gulf South	3
6	West Alabama	Livingston, Ala.	Gulf South	7
7	Nova Southeastern	Davie, Fla.	Sunshine	5
8	North Alabama	Florence, Ala.	Gulf South	6
9	Tampa	Tampa, Fla.	Sunshine	8
10	Florida Tech	Melbourne, Fla.	Sunshine	10
Regional Championship History — Last Five Champions: 2015: Saint Leo, 2014: Florida Southern, 2013: Florida Southern, 2012: Nova Southeastern, 2011: Alabama-Huntsville
SOUTH CENTRAL Region (5 Auto Quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Adams State	Alamosa, Colo.	RMAC	2
2	Colorado Mines	Golden, Colo.	RMAC	1
3	CSU-Pueblo	Pueblo, Colo.	RMAC	4
4	Western State	Gunnison, Colo.	RMAC	3
5	Black Hills State	Spearfish, S.D.	RMAC	5
6	West Texas A&M	Canyon, Texas	Lone Star	6
7	Metro State	Denver, Colo.	RMAC	9
8	UC-Colorado Springs	Colorado Springs, Colo.	RMAC	8
9	Dallas Baptist	Dallas, Texas	Heartland Conference	7
10	Newman	Wichita, Kan.	Heartland Conference	10
Regional Championship History — Last Five Champions: 2015: Adams State, 2014: Adams State, 2013: Adams State, 2012: Adams State, 2011: Eastern New Mexico
SOUTHEAST Region (3 Auto Quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Mount Olive	Mount Olive, N.C.	Conf. Carolinas	1
2	Queens (N.C.)	Charlotte, N.C.	SAC	2
3	Mars Hill	Mars Hill, N.C.	SAC	3
4	Augusta	Augusta, Ga.	Peach Belt	4
5	Flagler	St. Augustine, Fla.	Peach Belt	5
6	Anderson (S.C.)	Anderson, S.C.	SAC	6
7	Montevallo	Montevallo, Ala.	Peach Belt	7
8	UNC Pembroke	Pembroke, N.C.	Peach Belt	8
9	Columbus State	Columbus, Ga.	Peach Belt	9
10	Young Harris	Young Harris, Ga.	Peach Belt	10
Regional Championship History — Last Five Champions: 2015: Mount Olive, 2014: Mars Hill, 2013: Mount Olive, 2012: Columbus State, 2011: Queens (N.C.)
WEST Region (5 Auto Quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Chico State	Chico, Calif.	CCAA	1
2	Cal Poly Pomona	Pomona, Calif.	CCAA	2
3	Alaska Anchorage	Anchorage, Alaska	GNAC	3
4	UC San Diego	La Jolla, Calif.	CCAA	4
5	Cal Baptist	Riverside, Calif.	PacWest	6
6	Western Washington	Bellingham, Wash.	GNAC	5
7	Academy of Art	San Francisco, Calif.	PacWest	8
8	Simon Fraser	Burnaby, B.C.	GNAC	7
9	SF State	San Francisco, Calif.	CCAA	9
10	Western Oregon	Monmouth, Ore.	GNAC	10
Regional Championship History — Last Five Champions: 2015: Alaska Anchorage, 2014: Chico State, 2013: Chico State, 2012: Chico State, 2011: Alaska Anchorage

USTFCCCA NCAA Division II
Women’s Cross Country Regional Team Rankings
2016 Week #4 — October 4
national poll release: October 5
next regional release: October 11
ATLANTIC Region (3 Auto Quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Shippensburg	Shippensburg, Pa.	PSAC	2
2	Bloomsburg	Bloomsburg, Pa.	PSAC	1
3	Seton Hill	Greensburg, Pa.	PSAC	3
4	Lock Haven	Lock Haven, Pa.	PSAC	7
5	East Stroudsburg	East Stroudsburg, Pa.	PSAC	4
6	California (Pa.)	California, Pa.	PSAC	5
7	Kutztown	Kutztown, Pa.	PSAC	8
8	Wheeling Jesuit	Wheeling, W.Va.	Mountain East	NR
9	Slippery Rock	Slippery Rock, Pa.	PSAC	9
10	Mercyhurst	Erie, Pa.	PSAC	10
Regional Championship History — Last Five Champions: 2015: California (Pa.), 2014: Edinboro, 2013: Edinboro, 2012: Shippensburg, 2011: Shippensburg
CENTRAL Region (4 Auto Quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	U-Mary	Bismarck, N.D.	NSIC	1
2	Minnesota Duluth	Duluth, Minn.	NSIC	2
3	Pittsburg State	Pittsburg, Kan.	MIAA	4
4	Southwest Baptist	Bolivar, Mo.	MIAA	5
5	Augustana (S.D.)	Sioux Falls, S.D.	NSIC	3
6	Fort Hays State	Hays, Kan.	MIAA	6
7	MSU Moorhead	Moorhead, Minn.	NSIC	7
8	Missouri Southern	Joplin, Mo.	MIAA	9
9	Winona State	Winona, Minn.	NSIC	10
10	East Central (Okla.)	Ada, Okla.	Great American	NR
Regional Championship History — Last Five Champions: 2015: Southwest Baptist, 2014: Minnesota Duluth, 2013: Minnesota Duluth, 2012: Augustana (S.D.), 2011: Western State
EAST Region (3 Auto Quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Stonehill	Easton, Mass.	Northeast-10	1
2	Assumption	Worcester, Mass.	Northeast-10	2
3	Roberts Wesleyan	Chili, N.Y.	East Coast	3
4	Daemen	Amherst, N.Y.	East Coast	4
5	Merrimack	North Andover, Mass.	Northeast-10	5
6	Bentley	Waltham, Mass.	Northeast-10	6
7	Philadelphia	Philadelphia, Pa.	CACC	NR
8	Le Moyne	Syracuse, N.Y.	Northeast-10	7
9	Saint Rose	Albany, N.Y.	Northeast-10	10
10	Southern Connecticut	New Haven, Conn.	Northeast-10	NR
Regional Championship History — Last Five Champions: 2015: Stonehill, 2014: Roberts Wesleyan, 2013: Stonehill, 2012: Stonehill, 2011: Stonehill
MIDWEST Region (5 Auto Quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Grand Valley State	Allendale, Mich.	GLIAC	1
2	Cedarville	Cedarville, Ohio	G-MAC	4
3	Southern Indiana	Evansville, Ind.	GLVC	2
4	Hillsdale	Hillsdale, Mich.	GLIAC	3
5	Northern Michigan	Marquette, Mich.	GLIAC	5
6	Malone	Canton, Ohio	G-MAC	6
7	Lewis	Romeoville, Ill.	GLVC	7
8	Walsh	North Canton, Ohio	GLIAC	8
9	UW-Parkside	Kenosha, Wis.	GLVC	9
10	Bellarmine	Louisville, Ky.	GLVC	10
Regional Championship History — Last Five Champions: 2015: Grand Valley State, 2014: Grand Valley State, 2013: Grand Valley State, 2012: Grand Valley State, 2011: Grand Valley State
SOUTH Region (3 Auto Quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Saint Leo	Saint Leo, Fla.	Sunshine	1
2	Lee (Tenn.)	Cleveland, Tenn.	Gulf South	2
3	Union (Tenn.)	Jackson, Tenn.	Gulf South	3
4	Tampa	Tampa, Fla.	Sunshine	4
5	West Alabama	Livingston, Ala.	Gulf South	5
6	Alabama-Huntsville	Huntsville, Ala.	Gulf South	7
7	North Alabama	Florence, Ala.	Gulf South	6
8	Valdosta State	Valdosta, Ga.	Gulf South	NR
9	Mississippi College	Clinton, Miss.	Gulf South	NR
10	Palm Beach Atlantic	West Palm Beach, Fla.	Independent (DII)	8
Regional Championship History — Last Five Champions: 2015: Tampa, 2014: Tampa, 2013: Tampa, 2012: Tampa, 2011: Tampa
SOUTH CENTRAL Region (5 Auto Quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Adams State	Alamosa, Colo.	RMAC	1
2	Western State	Gunnison, Colo.	RMAC	2
3	UC-Colorado Springs	Colorado Springs, Colo.	RMAC	3
4	Dallas Baptist	Dallas, Texas	Heartland Conference	4
5	CSU-Pueblo	Pueblo, Colo.	RMAC	7
6	Colorado Mines	Golden, Colo.	RMAC	5
7	Fort Lewis	Durango, Colo.	RMAC	6
8	Colorado Christian	Lakewood, Colo.	RMAC	8
9	Black Hills State	Spearfish, S.D.	RMAC	9
10	Midwestern State	Wichita Falls, Texas	Lone Star	10
Regional Championship History — Last Five Champions: 2015: Adams State, 2014: Adams State, 2013: Adams State, 2012: Adams State, 2011: Midwestern State
SOUTHEAST Region (3 Auto Quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Montevallo	Montevallo, Ala.	Peach Belt	1
2	Queens (N.C.)	Charlotte, N.C.	SAC	2
3	North Georgia	Dahlonega, Ga.	Peach Belt	3
4	Anderson (S.C.)	Anderson, S.C.	SAC	4
5	Wingate	Wingate, N.C.	SAC	5
6	Mount Olive	Mount Olive, N.C.	Conf. Carolinas	6
7	Augusta	Augusta, Ga.	Peach Belt	7
8	UNC Pembroke	Pembroke, N.C.	Peach Belt	8
9	Georgia College	Milledgeville, Ga.	Peach Belt	9
10	Flagler	St. Augustine, Fla.	Peach Belt	10
Regional Championship History — Last Five Champions: 2015: Montevallo, 2014: Montevallo, 2013: Wingate, 2012: Columbus State, 2011: Queens (N.C.)
WEST Region (6 Auto Quals)
Rank	School	Location	Conference	Last Week
1	Chico State	Chico, Calif.	CCAA	1
2	Cal Baptist	Riverside, Calif.	PacWest	2
3	UC San Diego	La Jolla, Calif.	CCAA	3
4	Western Washington	Bellingham, Wash.	GNAC	4
5	Seattle Pacific	Seattle, Wash.	GNAC	5
6	Alaska Anchorage	Anchorage, Alaska	GNAC	6
7	Point Loma Nazarene	San Diego, Calif.	PacWest	7
8	Simon Fraser	Burnaby, B.C.	GNAC	8
9	Humboldt State	Arcata, Calif.	CCAA	9
10	Cal Poly Pomona	Pomona, Calif.	CCAA	10
Regional Championship History — Last Five Champions: 2015: Chico State, 2014: Simon Fraser, 2013: Alaska Anchorage, 2012: Chico State, 2011: Alaska Anchorage

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