WEEKEND PREVIEW: 2018 NCAA DI Cross Country Regional Championships

It’s Regional Championship Weekend in NCAA Division I Cross Country!

Automatic bids to the 2018 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships are up for grabs across the nation from State College, Pennsylvania to Sacramento, California and everywhere in between. Remember: The top-2 men’s and women’s teams at each of the nine regional championship meets secure automatic bids to the 2018 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships next Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin.

QUICK LINKS: Regional Championships Central | This Weekend’s Meets
NATIONAL COACHES’ POLLS (WEEK 6): Men | Women

Let’s take a closer look at each of the nine regional championship meets and find out which ones have the most ranked teams in the fold. We’ll list the line regions alphabetically, so they’re easier to find.

Great Lakes Region Championships

Date: Friday, November 9 | Location: Terre Haute, Indiana
2017 Champions: Michigan State (Men), Michigan (Women)
Men’s Teams (5)
Women’s Teams (5)
No. 3 Wisconsin
No. 7 Michigan
No. 10 Notre Dame
No. 10 Michigan State
No. 15 Purdue
No. 11 Wisconsin
No. 23 Indiana
No. 14 Indiana
No. 27 Michigan
No. 18 Notre Dame

To Sum It Up: It’s Old Guard versus New Blood in the men’s race as No. 3 Wisconsin tries to hold off the rising talents of No. 10 Notre Dame and No. 15 Purdue, among others … The women’s race will be a battle between several evenly matched teams, many of whom just saw each other at the Big Ten Championships. If history – and the National Coaches’ Poll – shows us anything, Michigan and Michigan State are favored, especially since a team from the Mitten State has won the regional title in 13 of the past 14 years.

Mid-Atlantic Region Championships

Date: Friday, November 9 | Location: State College, Pennsylvania
2017 Champions: Princeton (Men), Penn State (Women)
Men’s Teams (1)
Women’s Teams (2)
No. 25 Princeton
No. 7 Villanova
No. 13 Penn State

To Sum It Up: Dating back to 2005, the only teams to have won the men’s team title are Georgetown, Princeton and Villanova. The Tigers are the defending champions and the only team ranked in the most recent National Coaches’ Poll. The Hoyas won five in a row from 2005 to 2009 and four more this decade. The Wildcats are in a bit of a drought, having not topped the podium since 2014 … Villanova’s women are on a tear right now, having won meet titles at the BIG EAST Championships (21-73 over Georgetown) and the Princeton Invitational (21-38 over Columbia).

Midwest Region Championships

Date: Friday, November 9 | Location: Peoria, Illinois
2017 Champions: Iowa State (Men), Iowa State (Women)
Men’s Teams (2)
Women’s Teams (3)
No. 6 Iowa State
No. 15 Iowa State
No. 21 Oklahoma State
No. 23 Minnesota
No. 26 Oklahoma State

To Sum It Up: It should be a great battle in the men’s race, especially after what we saw at the Big 12 Championships (Iowa State held off Oklahoma State by a score of 32-40) … We have yet to see a head-to-head-to-head matchup between Iowa State, Minnesota and Oklahoma State this year, which makes it a bit tougher to handicap it – but the Cyclones have been quite strong throughout the year.

Mountain Region Championships

Date: Friday, November 9 | Location: Provo, Utah
2017 Champions: Northern Arizona (Men), Colorado (Women)
Men’s Teams (6)
Women’s Teams (5)
No. 1 Northern Arizona
No. 1 New Mexico
No. 2 BYU
No. 4 Colorado
No. 8 Colorado
No. 9 BYU
No. 13 Air Force
No. 22 Southern Utah
No. 14 Colorado State
No. 28 Northern Arizona
No. 18 Wyoming

To Sum It Up: We’ve waited 356 days to see Northern Arizona versus BYU. We thought we’d see them tangle at the Wisconsin Pre-National Invitational, but the seeding committee had other ideas. Both the Lumberjacks and Cougars dominated their respective races in Madison, Wisconsin, and then romped to conference titles two weeks ago to set up this matchup between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the National Coaches’ Poll … There isn’t any love lost between New Mexico and Colorado. The top-ranked Lady Lobos and fourth-ranked Buffs have each held the No. 1 ranking in the National Coaches’ Poll this season (New Mexico in the Preseason, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 and Week 6; Colorado in Week 4 and Week 5). You’ll see that the Buffs took the No. 1 spot from the Lady Lobos for two weeks. That came after Colorado won the team title at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational back in September. New Mexico has been on fire since then, winning the team title at the Wisconsin Pre-National Invitational by 53 points and taking down Boise State at the Mountain West Championships by two points.

Northeast Region Championships

Date: Friday, November 9 | Location: Buffalo, New York
2017 Champions: Syracuse (Men), Providence (Women)
Men’s Teams (1)
Women’s Teams (3)
No. 12 Syracuse
No. 20 Columbia
No. 25 Syracuse
No. 27 Dartmouth

To Sum It Up: Syracuse has dominated the Northeast Region over the past nine years. Since 2009, the Orange has won eight regional titles, including the past five. Syracuse is the odds-on favorite to make it six in a row based on the most recent National Coaches’ Poll. The tide could be changing for the Orange, however, as they recently fell at the ACC Championships – a meet it has also dominated in recent memory … Providence is the three-time defending champion in the Northeast Region, but the team is nowhere to be found in the National Coaches’ Poll. The Friars have had a tough go of it recently, having finished third at the BIG EAST Championships and 20th at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational. Three ranked teams are looking to end Providence’s run: No. 20 Columbia, No. 25 Syracuse and No. 27 Dartmouth. The Orange is the last team not named Iona or Providence to win a regional title, while the Lions and Big Green hope to win the Ivy League’s first regional title in a long time.

South Region Championships

Date: Friday, November 9 | Location: Tallahassee, Florida
2017 Champions: Middle Tennessee (Men), Ole Miss (Women)
Men’s Teams (2)
Women’s Teams (4)
No. 17 Ole Miss
No. 21 Florida
No. 30 Tennessee
No. 23 Ole Miss
No. 29 Georgia
No. 30 Georgia Tech

To Sum It Up: Ole Miss is surfing on a wave of confidence after winning the team title at the SEC Championships. The Rebels knocked off Arkansas and can now look to win their first regional title since 2016. Ole Miss also won in 2014, so there is definitely something to be said about even-numbered years … With four teams as evenly matched as the four that are ranked in the National Coaches’ Poll, it’s anybody’s guess as to which team wins the team title this weekend. Florida has the most momentum after a runner-up finish at the SEC Championships. The Gators were clear ahead of third-place Ole Miss (69 to 116 points), while Georgia was even further back (144 points).

South Central Region Championships

Date: Friday, November 9 | Location: College Station, Texas
2017 Champions: Arkansas (Men), Arkansas (Women)
Men’s Teams (1)
Women’s Teams (1)
No. 19 Arkansas
No. 5 Arkansas

To Sum It Up: Both of Arkansas’ teams have been the class of the South Central Region for quite some time now and that’s now expected to change this year. The Razorbacks are the only teams ranked in the most recent National Coaches’ Polls out of the South Central Region. A surprising effort by any number of teams to fill in that final automatic spot could shake up the at-large qualifiers.

Southeast Region Championships

Date: Friday, November 9 | Location: Rock Hill, South Carolina
2017 Champions: Furman (Men), NC State (Women)
Men’s Teams (4)
Women’s Teams (2)
No. 16 Eastern Kentucky
No. 11 NC State
No. 20 Furman
No. 16 Furman
No. 26 NC State
No. 28 Virginia

To Sum It Up: Eastern Kentucky has the most momentum out of any team in the men’s race and will be led by front-runner James Sugira. The last time the Colonels met up against a team from their own region, though, Virginia beat them at the Penn State National Open … NC State enters the meet fresh off a slim victory at the ACC Championships, while Furman continued its dominance of the Southern Conference.

West Region Championships

Date: Friday, November 9 | Location: Sacramento, California
2017 Champions: Portland (Men), San Francisco (Women)
Men’s Teams (8)
Women’s Teams (5)
No. 4 Portland
No. 2 Oregon
No. 5 Stanford
No. 3 Boise State
No. 7 Washington
No. 6 Stanford
No. 9 Boise State
No. 17 Washington
No. 11 Oregon
No. 19 Portland
No. 22 Washington State
No. 24 UCLA
No. 28 Gonzaga

To Sum It Up: Get your popcorn ready as eight teams that are ranked in the most recent National Coaches’ Poll vie for two automatic bids to the NCAA Championships. Included in those eight teams are five teams that are ranked in the top-15. Portland hasn’t shown its full hand, nor has Stanford – which makes for an interesting storyline. Don’t count out Washington or Boise State – the other two nationally ranked top-10 teams in this region – as they’ve been on the rise and are itching to prove themselves once again … Three top-6 teams are ready for the women’s race with Oregon, Boise State and Stanford. The Ducks recently captured the Pac-12 title, while the Broncos finished a slim runner-up to New Mexico in the Mountain West Conference. The Cardinal is still looking for a season-defining moment and it could come here.