2025 NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 3

NEW ORLEANS – What happened at the Paul Short Run and the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational shook up the regional landscape.

Here is the newest edition of the 2025 NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country Regional Rankings, which were released on Monday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

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.

All of these teams have November 14, Regional Championships Friday, circled on their calendar as they hope to clinch one of the two automatic qualifier spots in their region. Those two qualifiers, along with at-large teams will take on the 2025 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 22, in Columbia, Missouri. 

Great Lakes Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 2 Michigan State

In the Hunt: No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 4 Ohio, No. 5 Toledo

Notes: Following a strong performance at the Joe Piane Invitational, Notre Dame retains their top spot this week. The Fighting Irish were led by Mary Bonner Dalton who ran 15:53 for the individual title. As a team, they averaged 16:06 for 5k, with a 20 second 1-5 spread, which was enough for 29 points as they cruised past rival Ohio, among others.   

Michigan State opted not to race this week, but we will see the second-ranked Spartans take on the Nuttycombe Invitational on Friday, Oct. 17. 

Mid-Atlantic Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 West Virginia, No. 2 Penn State

In the Hunt: No. 3 Villanova, No. 4 Georgetown, No. 5 Princeton

Notes: West Virginia returns to the top of the region, following a first-place finish at the Louisville Classic. The Mountaineers averaged 16:39 in Kentucky, scoring just 34 points, as they were powered by Joy Naukot’s second-place overall finish, where she ran 15:48 for 5k. 

Penn State falls a spot this week after Paul Short. Missing Florence Caron, their top runner, the Nittany Lions place second, narrowly behind Villanova, but ahead of Georgetown, Penn, and Princeton. Sophomore Ada Rand’s 15th place finish was the highest for any Penn State runner that day as they averaged 20:21 for 6k. 

Midwest Region

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

In the Hunt: No. 3 Northwestern, No. 4 Missouri, No. 5 Minnesota

Notes: It has been a quiet week in the Midwest with both of the top teams not racing. Both teams return on Oct. 17, with the Cowgirls racing at the Weis-Crockett Invitational in Stillwater, while the Cyclone will compete at the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison. 

Mountain Region

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

In the Hunt: No. 3 Northern Arizona, No. 4 Colorado, No. 5 Utah

Notes: The Mountain Region was also quiet this week with all of the top five teams holding out. The BYU Cougars return to action on Oct. 18 at Pre-Nationals and the New Mexico Lobos race on Oct. 17 at the Nuttycombe Invitational. 

Northeast Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Boston College, No. 2 Providence

In the Hunt: No. 3 Syracuse, No. 4 Connecticut, No. 5 Harvard

Notes: Boston College leaps over Providence in the rankings this week following a head-to-head victory at Loyola Lakefront in Chicago this past weekend. The Eagles, led by Imogen Gardiner’s 16th place finish, averaged 20:28 for 6k and claimed fifth overall with 165 points. 

Providence was more competitive than their tenth-place finish shows as the Friars averaged 20:45 with a 1-5 spread of 55 seconds, five less than Boston College. Gabby Schmidt was their top finisher, running 20:19 for 26th place. 

South Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Alabama

In the Hunt: No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Florida State, No. 5 Mississippi State

Notes: The South Region was also silent this week with Florida opting not to run, coming off their team title at Gans Creek last week. Alabama still remains a mystery with reigning champion Doris Lemngole and Brenda Tuwei yet to race, as the Crimson Tide were idle this week. 

South Central Region

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

In the Hunt: No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 Arkansas, No. 5 LSU

Notes: Tulane did not race this week, coming off a top-half finish at Gans Creek. Texas, on the other hand, jumps two spots this week into an auto-qualifier spot. The Longhorns defeated Arkansas in a head-to-head matchup at the Chile Pepper Festival where they claimed the team title by a margin of 52 points. They averaged 16:55 for 5k as Elizabeth Pickett led the way with a 16:15 run for third place. 

Southeast Region

Projected AQs: No. 1 NC State, No. 2 Virginia

In the Hunt: No. 3 South Carolina, No. 4 Clemson, No. 5 Wake Forest

Notes: NC State continues their charge this fall as they took home the team title at Loyola Lakefront this past weekend in Chicago. The Wolfpack scored 34 points as they were led by Hannah Gapes and Bethany Micahalak, who ran 19:19 and 19:34 respectively for a 1-2 finish. They placed four in the top ten and averaged 19:47 with a 1-5 spread of just 42 seconds. 

Virginia remains in second place as they did not compete this week. The Cavaliers return to action on Friday, Oct. 17 as they take on the Panorama Farms Invitational, at home in Charlottesville. 

West Region

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

In the Hunt: No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 4 Washington, No. 5 Washington State

Notes: The West Region’s best did not compete this week, but the Ducks return to action next week at the Bill Dellinger Invitational, while Stanford races again at the Nuttycombe Invitational on Oct. 17.