New Poll Shifts Squads in DI, Florida State Top Women’s Team

NEW ORLEANS – As a result of a hefty weekend of competition, there were many changes made to the latest national coaches’ poll for NCAA Division I cross country. While Wisconsin’s squad is still the top men’s team in the poll, Florida State now has the nation’s No. 1 women’s team according to a members’ panel of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

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The top four men’s teams remained unchanged from the previous week, headed by Wisconsin, with eight first-place votes, and flanked by No. 2 Oklahoma State, with two FPVs, No. 3 BYU, who has two FPVs, and No. 4 Oklahoma. No. 5 Iona, who claimed victory at the Greater Louisville Classic last weekend, joins the national top five for the first time since last October.

Also in the men’s poll, Tulsa moved up 11 spots to No. 9, making their first-ever appearance in the national top ten, after besting the field at the Notre Dame Invitational that featured eight nationally ranked teams.  Columbia’s men at No. 17 reached their all-time best ranking after taking second at the Greater Louisville Classic last weekend. William and Mary at No. 23 is making their first appearance in the national poll since last season while Missouri at No. 30 is ranked for the first time since September 1, 2000. The Tribe of W&M was second only to now-No. 12 Villanova last weekend at Lehigh’s Paul Short Invite while the Tigers of Mizzou finished fourth at Louisville, ahead of then-No. 6 Texas.

It is now a three-way tie among conferences for most spots in the men’s top 30 as the Big East, Big Ten, and Pac-12 each have four in the poll. The SEC and Big 12 follow with three apiece.

In the women’s poll, Florida State took over the top spot with 11 FPVs while No. 4 Oregon, who fell a spot to No. 3, notched a lone FPV. Florida State was last in the top spot in the final regular-season poll of 2011. Arizona vaulted ten spots over the field to land at an all-time best No. 2 on the poll. The Wildcats defeated then-No. 1 Washington (now No. 3) for the top spot at the Greater Louisville Classic.

Rewarded for a big victory at the Paul Short Invitational over top ten teams then-No. 4 Georgetown and then-No. 9 Villanova, Cornell returns to the poll and lands at all-time best spot at No. 9. Toledo rocketed to No. 15, up seven spots, for their first-ever trip to the top 15 after finishing a close second to then-No. 11 Michigan at Kansas’ Rim Rock Farm Classic last weekend. William and Mary’s women, at No. 17, are also ranked for the first time this season with this latest poll. W&M’s women are in the top 30 for the first time since 2006 after an “eye-opening” runner-up showing at the Paul Short Invite. Yale’s women, at No. 30, are ranked for the first time since September 27, 2005, after they finished fourth at the Paul Short.

The shifting around the poll puts five teams from the Big Ten and five from the Pac-12 in the poll. The Pac-12 now has three squads ranked in the nation’s top five. The Big East has four ranked women’s squads while the Ivy League and ACC claims three.

As a result of a light weekend of competition in DI this upcoming weekend, there will not be a national poll released next Tuesday. The next poll will be released on Tuesday, October 16.