2017 NCAA DI Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll — Week 4
NEW ORLEANS – A weekend full of action-packed meets did not translate into a week of shuffling in the NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country Coaches’ Poll, released on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), as the top-nine teams from a week ago stayed put in their respective spots.
However, 12 teams in the bottom two-thirds of the rankings rose, including three teams in Ole Miss (12th), Utah State (19th) and Furman (21st) who came in higher than ever before.
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Ole Miss’ four-spot rise to 12th came after winning the OSU Cowboy Jamboree while Utah State’s two-spot jump can be attributed to winning the Paul Short Run Gold race where Alyssa Snyder paced the meet of 369 women. Furman’s eight-spot move was the largest on the week due to a third-place finish at the Cross Country Classic in Louisville, Kentucky.
But the cream of the crop held down the top of the polls once again after flexing their muscles at some of the nation’s top competitions this past weekend.
Colorado scored a huge victory at the Joe Piane Invitational, with Dani Jones pacing the team for a third-place finish. The Buffaloes remained in first place in the rankings for the fifth-straight week, but lost a first-place vote to Oregon, who came in second. The Ducks posted a win at their own Bill Dellinger Invitational with Katie Rainsberger, Lilli Burdon and Jessica Hull finishing 1-2-3.
New Mexico is third after a runner-up finish at the Joe Piane Invitational, with Lobos Ednah Kurgat and Alice Wright crossing the finish line 1-2. Michigan, who garnered the final first-place vote, remained in fourth place after Jamie Morrissey led the Wolverines to a win at the Sam Bell Invitational, while Stanford rounded out the top-five after a runner-up finish at the Bill Dellinger Invitational.
San Francisco, NC State, Providence and Arkansas held onto the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth spots, while Penn State fell out of a tie with the Razorbacks to come in 10th on the week.
BYU also saw a rise in the rankings, moving three spots to 16th after placing third at the Bill Dellinger Invitational. The Cougars five scorers placed between 11th and 19th at the meet, giving BYU its first positive movement in the rankings on the season after coming in at ninth in the preseason poll.
Utah moved up five spots and Georgetown moved up one, with both tying for 22nd, despite the latter of the two having an idle weekend. Yale also jumped a spot to 27th.
Missouri returned to the top-30 at 24th after slipping out of the polls a week ago. Karissa Scheweizer led the pack at the OSU Cowboy Jamboree, finishing a minute ahead of any other competitors.
Georgia (25th), Virginia (28th) and West Virginia (t-29th) all entered the polls for the first time on the season.
The next NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country Coaches’ Poll will be released on Oct. 16, as there is no poll next Tuesday.
