2019 NCAA DI Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 4
NEW ORLEANS – Major changes swept through the most recent NCAA Division I Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll that was released on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
A total of 10 teams jumped multiple spots between Week 3 and Week 4 and three of those teams hit all-time high water marks for themselves in the process.
NCAA Division I — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Northern Arizona
Northern Arizona
2
BYU
BYU
3
Colorado
Colorado
4
Washington
Washington
5
Stanford
Stanford
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Where else should we start but at the top, which is where No. 1 Northern Arizona and No. 2 BYU reside in that order for the 13th week in a row. Both the Lumberjacks and the Cougars were idle this week, but return to the course in two weeks at the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, Wisconsin, and the Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Colorado dominated the proceedings at the Joe Piane Invitational this past weekend, trumping 11 other nationally-ranked programs. The Buffaloes, who are now ranked No. 3, were the only team with three runners in the top-15 as they posted a 36-point win over Ole Miss.
Speaking of those Rebels, they jumped six spots from No. 14 to a program-record No. 8. Ole Miss packed up well in South Bend, Indiana, as their top-5 runners finished within 28 seconds of each other. Farah Abdulkarim led the way with his 12th-place individual placement.
It’s kind of fitting that NC State and Purdue sit right behind the Rebels at No. 10 and No. 11, respectively, because just one point separated those two programs this past weekend at the Joe Piane Invitational. The Wolfpack ended up third with 177 points, while the Boilermakers were fourth with 178 points.
Purdue is the highlight here as this is the best ranking in program history. It has been a remarkable rise for the Boilermakers, who weren’t ranked at all in the National Coaches’ Poll between 1995 and 2014. Purdue received votes in 2015 and 2017, cracked the top-20 last year and are now within one spot of the top-10.
Middle Tennessee is another team that hit an all-time high in Week 4. The Blue Raiders cruised to the team title at the Live in the Lou Cross Country Classic this past weekend and jumped five spots from No. 22 to No. 17. Middle Tennesse was led by the talented duo of Jacob Choge and former National Athlete of the Week Kigen Chemadi.
Further down, Utah State and Texas joined the National Coaches’ Poll for the first time this season at No. 22 and No. 24, respectively. The Aggies, who own their third best ranking in program history, romped to victory at the Paul Short Run this past weekend, while the Longhorns, who are ranked for just the eighth time in the past five years, earned a hard-fought win at the Chile Pepper Festival.
Virginia Tech and Florida State jumped into the top-30 after spending some time in the Land of Receiving Votes. The Hokies are No. 29, while the Seminoles are tied for No. 30.
Due to a lull in the schedule, there will not be a National Coaches’ Poll next week. Instead, you’ll want to check back on October 22, as there should be a ton of changes following the final major weekend of the regular season.
