Understanding NCAA Regional Cross Country Rankings

Each year, the NCAA Division I cross country championships see teams participating in regional competition before the national championships. These regional championships play a vital role in determining which teams and individuals qualify for the national stage. Several of the world’s best cross country runners participate in the sport at the collegiate level in the United States and Canada. Many of the top runners head to prestigious cross country colleges such as BYU, Oregon, Northern Arizona, New Mexico, and Arkansas, all of which have claimed NCAA cross country championships in either men’s or women’s cross country over the past few years.

NCAA and NAIA

Both the NCAA and NAIA administer college athletics. These associations organize national championships and pass the rules that each of their member institutions must follow to be eligible to participate in intercollegiate athletics and to compete for regional and national championships. Additionally, the NJCAA sponsors junior college xc for both men and women. This is a great option for runners who are either not academically eligible to participate at a four-year institution, want to develop more as an athlete before moving on to one, plan to just earn an associate degree or whose financial situation make this the best financial option for them.

Rankings and Recruiting

One of the most useful tools that high school cross country runners utilize is NCSA’s ranking of the top colleges for cross country teams for both men and women. As you engage in the cross country recruiting process, it’s important to keep yourself informed on who the best NCAA cross country teams are. This will help you see where you might best fit from an athletic standpoint. The USTFCCCA provides the best junior college, NAIA and NCAA cross country rankings resource. On the cross country schedule page, you can generally click on “Results” and “Recap” links to see how cross country runners and teams performed as compared to their competition. You can also see on this page when cross country meets are scheduled.

As you go through the cross country recruiting process, it’s important to understand terms that are being used to describe you. The most common ones are prospects, recruits and commits. Most who participate in boys and girls cross country are prospects. This means that they’re eligible to participate at the college level. However, this doesn’t mean that any coaches have shown any interest. Once that occurs, you’re a recruit. The last step in the cross country recruiting process is becoming a commit. You should also consider what cross country colleges are looking for in those who would be making the transition from high school cross country to the next level. Your cross country training will become more demanding, and coaches want to ensure that you’ll be able to regularly cover the college cross country distance at a competitive speed. If you’re speaking with a coach at one of the cross country colleges that sponsors a track & field team too, your ability to contribute to that sport as well will likely be considered. Of course, the 5,000- and 10,000-meter races on the track are seamless transitions for most xc runners, but perhaps you also have skills in shorter hurdles races or a field event such as the long jump. Your demeanor, how you carry yourself, is also something that is looked at as it tends to have a noticeable impact on your ability to perform well in the classroom and on the roads and paths.

As you educate yourself, it’s helpful to know the rules that cross country colleges must follow. For example, coaches at cross country colleges are only allowed to contact you at specific times and in specific ways. One of the best ways to combine improving your knowledge of xc with getting in front of colleges for cross country coaches is by taking advantage of cross country camps. These are great for interacting with a variety of coaches at cross country colleges and taking in all of that coaching knowledge. NCSA College Recruiting is an organization that has helped cross country runners and other athletes navigate the sometimes overwhelming path through the recruiting process. We have over 50,000 coaches who are a part of the NCSA network. As a result of everything that NCSA has done for college athletics, it’s received top reviews, including a Google Reviews score of 4.8 out of 5.0 stars. Many of those reviewers are amongst the 300,000 student-athletes who utilized NCSA’s services en route to committing to a college team.

Scholarship Considerations

Most cross country colleges do offer cross country scholarships but take note of cross country vs track differences. In NCAA cross country, schools are limited to 12.6 men’s and 18 women’s scholarships for cross country and track and field athletes combined. Those cross country colleges that are not track and field colleges as well are limited to five men’s and six women’s cross country scholarships, respectively. In any case, do also consider that NCAA Division 3 cross country programs and NCAA Division 1 Ivy League cross country teams do not award any athletics scholarships whatsoever. Also note that just because a school is allowed to offer a certain number of scholarships, it may not provide that maximum figure.

Postseason Qualification

Those running in college always have an eye towards the postseason, and all of the season’s cross country meets lead up to that. Men’s and women’s cross country teams that are in a conference open postseason action with conference championship meets. Only a select few will take part in the national championship meet. For cross country colleges that compete at the NCAA Division 1 level, those that finish in the top two in their regional will qualify. So will 13 at-large squads, which will be decided upon by the NCAA D1 Cross Country Subcommittee. Cross country runners who are not on one of those teams but placed in the top four of the rest of the field while concurrently being in the top 25 of the overall field will move on.

Automatic Qualifiers

The top two teams in each of the nine regions automatically qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships. For example, below are the Automatic Qualifiers on both the men’s and women’s sides:

Automatic Bids

Men

Great Lakes: Notre Dame, Butler
Mid-Atlantic: Princeton, Georgetown
Midwest: Oklahoma State, Iowa State
Mountain: New Mexico, BYU
Northeast: Syracuse, Iona
South: Alabama, Ole Miss
South Central: Tulane, Arkansas
Southeast: Wake Forest, Eastern Kentucky
West: Oregon, CBU

Women

Read also: Crafting Your NCAA Profile

Great Lakes: Notre Dame, Wisconsin
Mid-Atlantic: West Virginia, Georgetown
Midwest: Oklahoma State, Northwestern
Mountain: New Mexico, BYU
Northeast: Boston College, Providence
South: Florida, Tennessee
South Central: Texas A&M, LSU
Southeast: NC State, South Carolina
West: Stanford, Oregon

At-Large Selections

After the automatic qualifiers are determined, the NCAA D1 Cross Country Subcommittee selects 13 at-large teams based on their performance throughout the season.

For Example, the At-Large Selections could be as follows:

At-Large Selections

Men

Virginia
NAU
Colorado
Washington State
Wisconsin
Michigan State
Georgia
Michigan
Harvard
Virginia Tech (bumped in by UNC)
North Carolina
Air Force
Louisville
Oklahoma

Women

Virginia
NAU
Colorado
Washington State
Wisconsin
Michigan State
Michigan
Harvard
Virginia Tech (bumped in by UNC)
North Carolina
Air Force
Georgia
Louisville
Oklahoma

The Kolas Rankings

The Kolas Rankings - often called the Kolas Calculator - determine which teams qualify for Nationals beyond the automatic regional bids. Here’s the simplest way to think about it: The remaining at-large bids are selected using the Kolas formula, which evaluates head-to-head wins and results across regions to determine the most competitive teams. The Kolas qualifying system is complex with multiple facets of qualifying criteria that need to be addressed. There are nine regional meets in the NCAA where teams can qualify for the national meet. This means that if Team X finished in 3rd place, Team Y finished in 4th place and Team Z finished in 5th place, all at the same regional meet, then only Team X and Team Y would be considered for an "At-Large" bid to the national meet. Kolas Points are given to teams that were not among the 18 "Auto Locks," but did earn wins over those "Auto Locks" teams during the regular season + conference championships.

Let's say that team X places 3rd at their regional championship and team Y placed 4th at the same meet. Team Y has a lot of Kolas points and is going to be one of the teams selected to the NCAA XC Championships. However, because team X defeated team Y at their regional meet, and team Y is selected to qualify for the national meet, team X is now "pushed" into the NCAA XC Championships. Why? The same can be said for 4th place vs 5th place teams and so on. There can only be one "push" scenario in each region. In order to earn Kolas points, schools must defeat "Auto Locks" teams during the season who ran at least four of their seven athletes from the regional championships (known as the "A" squad). For example, team X was one of the top-two teams in their region which means that they automatically qualified for the NCAA XC Championships. Team Y defeated team X during the regular season which means that, theoretically, team Y should earn a Kolas point. In order for a team to earn Kolas points, the meet that teams race in must be at least 75% of the championship racing distance. The regional meets are always 10k for the men and 6k for the women.

Regional Rankings

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. 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.

Great Lakes Region Example

Projected AQs: No. 1 Notre Dame, No.
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 4 Toledo, No.
Notes: Notre Dame remains atop the Great Lakes region for the sixth consecutive week, following its second-place finish at the ACC Championships. The Fighting Irish continue to be led by sophomore Mary Bonner Dalton, who finished second overall in 19:14, just a second away from claiming the meet’s top spot. While there is a sizeable gap between its first and second runners, Notre Dame runs close together with a 2-5 gap of only 16 seconds and a 2-7 gap of only 17 seconds. Michigan State jumps Wisconsin this week in the rankings in a move that reflects this weekend’s Big Ten Championship race. The Spartans found a fifth-place finish on their home course, just one spot ahead of the Badgers. Rachel Forsyth ran 19:57 for sixth place which helped elevate the East Lansing harriers to a 20:41 average and 147 team score, just 17 points ahead of Wisconsin. The Spartans have great depth with a 2-5 spread of just seven seconds and 2-7 spread of 17 seconds. The first and second ranked teams in the Great Lakes have similar squad make-ups and will battle it out on Friday, Nov.

Mid-Atlantic Region Example

Projected AQs: No. 1 West Virginia, No.
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Georgetown, No. 4 Villanova, No.
Notes: West Virginia is the Mid-Atlantic’s top team for the third week in a row. The Mountaineers come off a strong third-place finish at the Big 12 Championships where they were led by the 1-2 punch of Joy Naukot and Mercy Kinyanjui. Naukot ran 19:14 for second while Kinyanjui placed eighth, running 19:46. Behind those two, West Virginia averaged 19:59 for 6k, but had a large 1-5 spread of 1:37. Penn State has been all over the top three spots this season, as they slide into the second spot this week. The Nittany Lions found success at the Big Ten Championships, claiming second overall, as they were led by senior Florence Caron’s fourth place finish. Charlotte Costich and Ada Rand found eighth and 12th place finishes behind her respectively as Penn State put five in the top thirty enroute to a 20:21 average and 78 team score.

Midwest Region Example

Projected AQs: No. 1 Iowa State, No.
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Northwestern, No. 4 Missouri, No.
Notes: Iowa State’s second place finish at the Big 12 Championships sees them remain at the top of the Midwest this week. The Cyclones had an impressive showing, placing three in the top ten and another in the top fifteen. The trio of Mercyline Kirwa, Betty Kipkore, and Mercy Kibet went 5-6-7, running 19:24, 19:26, and 19:27 respectively as the squad from Ames averaged 19:49 for 6k. The only thing holding the Cyclones back is their fifth runner who was in 41st, creating an additional 26-point gap. Oklahoma State returns to a projected automatic qualifier spot this week after falling from its top spot last week. The Cowgirls took fourth at the Big 12 Championships, where its team total of 86 points was just 15 points behind Iowa State. The combination of Isca Chelangat and Maureen Rutoh is formidable as they finished 4th and 9th respectively, running 19:20 and 19:47.

Mountain Region Example

Projected AQs: No. 1 BYU, No.
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Colorado, No. 4 Utah, No.
Notes: BYU is still the Mountain region’s top ranked team following their first-place finish at the Big 12 Championships, marking their third consecutive conference title. The Cougars placed three in the top ten, five in the top fifteen, and seven in the top twenty, showcasing their depth and front-running ability. Jane Hedengren is now two-for-two when it comes to breaking course records as the freshman phenom ran 18:29 for first place, 44 seconds ahead of second place. BYU’s 19:27 average and 38-point team score was over 30 points ahead of second place and more importantly almost 100 points ahead of regional foes No. 3 Colorado and No. New Mexico is finally showing fans their true strength as they claimed the Mountain West title in dominant fashion. Pamela Kosgei, absent from competition to this point, finally made her season debut and it did not disappoint. Last year’s national runner-up ran away from the field, claiming the individual title in 19:20 as the Lobos put four in the top five. New Mexico averaged 19:52 for 6k and put up a team score of just 24 as they defeated regional opponents No. 6 Air Force, No. 7 Utah State, and No. 8 Colorado State.

Northeast Region Example

Projected AQs: No. 1 Boston College, No.
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Providence, No. 4 Yale, No.
Notes: Boston College sees themselves atop the Northeast for the third consecutive week now. The Eagles placed seventh at the ACC Championships. Led by Imogen Gardiner’s 35th place finish, the Eagles had exceptional depth, with just a 20-second 1-5 spread. Syracuse found themselves behind Boston College at the ACC Championship, in 13th place. The Orange averaged 20:45 for 6k, led by Selma Anderson’s 20:01, good for 20th place. While they have a more defined front-runner, Syracuse struggles with depth, as demonstrated with their 1:17 spread from 1-5.

South Region Example

Projected AQs: No. 1 Florida, No.
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Florida State, No.
Notes: Florida’s first-place finish at the SEC Championships sees them remain the South’s top-ranked team. Fans have waited over a month to see this Gators team race their best and they did not disappoint. Judy Chepkoech led the Gainesville squad with a second-place finish, crossing the line in 19:47. The trio of Hilda Olemomoi, Tia Wilson, and Desma Chepkoech backed her up, finishing seventh, eighth, and 10th respectively as the Gators put four in the top ten enroute to a 72-point victory over Alabama. In addition to defeating the Crimson Tide, the Gators also toppled regional rivals Tennessee, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, and Ole Miss in Knoxville. Alabama were runners up at the SEC Championships, behind the region’s top-ranked team. The Crimson Tide showed that they had one of the nation’s best trios with reigning national champion Doris Lemngole, Caren Kiplagat and Cynthia Jemutai finishing 1-3-4. Unfortunately, Alabama did not have the depth to dethrone Florida, as they had a massive 1-5 spread of 2:26.

South Central Region Example

Projected AQs: No. 1 LSU, No.
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 SMU, No.
Notes: LSU makes the jump to number one in the South Central rankings this week as they come off a fourth-place finish in a stacked SEC Championship meet. The Tigers had been sitting in fifth for the majority of the season, but now find themselves in a projected automatic qualifying spot. The duo of Edna Chepkemoi and Yuya Sawada ran 20:27 and 20:29 respectively as they found 13th and 15th place finishes. LSU’s 20:52 average and 159 team points were enough to knock off regional rivals Texas A&M and Texas who finished in 6th and 13th respectively. Tulane moves back one spot into second, as they come off a dominant win at the American Conference Championships. The partnership of Blezzin Kimutai and Dorcas Naibei’s second and fourth place finishes helped elevate the Green Wave to a 20:37 team average for 6k. Tulane put four in the top ten and eight in the top twenty enroute to a 36-point team total, beating No. 8 Rice by the same margin, as they claimed their first conference title since 2023 and second in program history.

Southeast Region Example

Projected AQs: No. 1 NC State, No.
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Virginia, No. 4 South Carolina, No.
Notes: A first-place finish at the ACC Championships keeps NC State at number one in the Southeast rankings. The Wolfpack continue their dominant season as they claimed victory over the entire ACC conference and many regional foes. Angelina Napoleon followed up on her second-place finish at Nuttycombe, claiming the gold with a time of 19:13 for 6k. The rest of the pack followed closely behind with all five scorers in the top ten, averaging 19:27 with a 1-5 gap of just 31 seconds, demonstrating some of nation’s best depth. North Carolina makes one of the biggest leaps of the season as they climb from eighth in last week’s poll to second. The Tar Heels showed that they are top contenders for one of the Southeast’s auto-qualifying spots with their third-place team finish at the ACC Championships, finishing above Virginia, Duke, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest. Vera Sjoberg, the Boston University transfer, made just her second appearance this season, matching her sixth-place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational. Sjoberg and teammate Brynn Brown both went under 20 minutes, running 19:31 and 19:55 respectively.

West Region Example

Projected AQs: No. 1 Oregon, No.
Also in the Hunt: No. 3 Washington, No. 4 Washington State, No.
Notes: Oregon stays atop the West region for the sixth consecutive week, as they come off a historic Big Ten Championship meet. The Ducks put up the lowest team score in Big Ten history to claim the team title, their second straight. The trio of Diana Cherotich, Juliet Cherubet, and Silan Ayyildiz went 1-2-3, running 19:31, 19:46, and 19:47. Behind them, Dalia Frias and Mia Barnett found fifth and seventh place finishes as the Ducks averaged 19:50, knocking off Washington in the process. Stanford comes off a fourth-place finish at a competitive ACC meet, which slots them in second in the West region rankings. The Cardinal averaged 20:11 and put up 150 points, topping regional and state rival California. Sophia Kennedy was Stanford’s top finisher, placing seventh and running 19:35. Behind her, the Cardinal run mostly separated from each other as Mena Scatchard was in 23rd and Julia Flynn was in 37th.

Championship Details

The regular season begins in mid to late August or early September and lasts into the month of October. The regionals are a crucial event within the championships selection process. A team's advancement to the national championship is dependent on their performance at the regional championships. Once the regionals have concluded, the top two teams in each regional - there are nine in total - automatically qualify for the championships, which equates to 18 automatic qualifiers. In other words, it's the safest route to qualification. Regular and postseason (up until the championships) results combine to create a detailed resume of a team's performance throughout the season, and that resume is also looked over by the subcommittee to determine at-large championship selections.

Individual selections are a different story. From the regional, the first four finishers who do not belong to an automatic qualifier or an at-large team automatically advance to the championships. All four finishers have to finish in the top 25 within their region. Altogether, 36 individuals automatically qualify and two are chosen at-large, making 38 the grand total.

The NCAA DI men's college cross country championships began in 1938 when Indiana took home the trophy over Notre Dame. Further down the road came the NCAA DI women's cross country championship.

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