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PREDICTIONS: 2025 NCAA D2 XC Regional Championship Weekend (Men's Teams)
The upcoming weekend is a big one for our Division Two readers.
That's because on Saturday, Division Two teams around the NCAA will toe the line for their respective regional championship. And when the results of those eight meets are settled, the NCAA will be able to determine which teams are qualifying for this year's NCAA XC Championships...and which teams will be ending their seasons early.
Below, we offered top-seven team predictions for each of the eight regional meets on the men's side (you can find our women's predictions by clicking here). Be sure to note that the top-three teams in each region are automatically selected to advance to the NCAA XC Championships.
For those teams that do not finish in the top-three of their region, the NCAA will determine who is set to qualify for the national meet through a variety of different criteria. That criteria is similar to the Kolas system, but it also varies in a small (but critical) handful of ways.
Admittedly, our comprehension of the D2 national qualifying system pales in comparison to the D1 Kolas calculator. Thankfully, we were able to direct our friends at collegexc.com to a few key individuals and resources earlier this year to setup a calculator for the D2 national qualifying process! Be sure to go check that out by clicking the blue-colored link!
With all of that being said, let's begin...
NOTE: Any and all commentary regarding national qualifying scenarios is based on multiple calculations stemming from collegexc.com. Please note that this is the first year that collegexc.com is hosting a Division Two calculator for national qualification. It is possible that errors, while rare, are still being found as the calculator is further refined.
Atlantic Regional XC Championships
Men's Team Race
Charleston (WV) Golden Eagles
Shippensburg Raiders
East Stroudsburg Warriors
Davis & Elkins Senators
Fayetteville State Broncos
Kutztown Bears
West Chester Rams
Analysis: I feel pretty good about the top-two teams in this field being Charleston (WV) and Shippensburg. Those two teams have simply proven to be stronger than the rest of their competition in the Atlantic region -- not just as of late, but throughout the entirety of the season.
However, East Stroudsburg and Davis & Elkins could create a very interesting matchup for the third and final automatic qualifying spot out of the Atlantic region. Both programs had very similar performances at their respective conference meets and their results at the Paul Short Run and Louisville XC Classic, respectively, didn't necessarily suggest that one team is definitively better than the other.
With an at-large bid likely not coming out of the Atlantic region, the battle for bronze will be a massive storyline to follow on Saturday.
Central Regional XC Championships
Men's Team Race
Northwest Missouri State Bearcats
Pittsburg State Gorillas
Washburn Ichabods
Augustana (SD) Vikings
East Central Tigers
Missouri Southern Lions
Nebraska-Kearney Lopers
Analysis: Much like the Atlantic region, I feel pretty good about Northwest Missouri State and Pittsburg State taking two of the three automatic qualifying spots in the Central region. However, after that, things aren't as clear-cut, at least not in my opinion.
Personally, I'm taking Washburn to secure bronze in this race. However, that's more because other teams such as Augustana (SD), East Central and Missouri Southern haven't necessarily stood out in any major way. Plus, the Ichabods have seemingly held up the best in larger fields similar to the one that they will face on Saturday.
Based on our current calculations from collegexc.com, there are a small handful of scenarios where certain teams can advance to the national meet if they place 4th at the Central Regional XC Championships. However, that would require a few key upsets happening in other regions in order for that to happen.
East Regional XC Championships
Men's Team Race
Southern Connecticut State Owls
Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks
Franklin Pierce Ravens
St. Michael's Purple Knights
Jefferson (PA) Rams
Daemen Wildcats
Wilmington (Del) Wildcats
Analysis: Southern Connecticut State and Roberts Wesleyan will almost certainly take home two of the three automatic national qualifying spots in this race. But that third spot? Well, that becomes a bit more interesting.
Franklin Pierce is favored for 3rd place, but St. Michael's was within just five points of the Ravens at the NE10 XC Championships. You could also argue that the men from Jefferson (PA), the CACC team champions, have a shot at bronze after finishing just one spot behind St. Michael's in the "Green" race at the Paul Short Run earlier this fall.
With each of those three teams sharing very similar lineup structures, we could see an extremely close battle and a dramatic finish for that 3rd place position on Saturday.
Midwest Regional XC Championships
Men's Team Race
Grand Valley State Lakers
Saginaw Valley State Cardinals
Lewis Flyers
Walsh Cavaliers
Ashland Eagles
Michigan Tech Huskies
Tiffin Dragons
Analysis: This is a really interesting region, but not necessarily in terms of where certain teams may or may not finish. That's because, based on our current predictions, each team listed in our projected top-seven is set to qualify for the national meet.
We switched up the order for the above-listed teams in a variety of different ways. And despite our attempts, it looks like the order in which these seven teams finish doesn't really impact their national qualifying chances (based on our calculations from collegexc.com).
In fact, there are one or two scenarios where Illinois-Springfield could also find their way into the national meet if they are able to take down any of the above-listed teams. Plus, if Alaska Anchorage falls below 4th place in the West region, then we could realistically see eight teams come out of the Midwest region! However, a great day from Findlay could also cause chaos, something that many mid-pack teams in the South Central region are rooting for.
Simply put, the Midwest region could have a massive influence on who toes the line in Kenosha, Wisconsin later this month.
South Regional XC Championships
Men's Team Race
Lee (Tenn.) Flames
Florida Southern Moccasins
Alabama-Huntsville Chargers
Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish
Embry-Riddle Eagles
Mississippi College Choctaws
Tampa Spartans
Analysis: This should be a fairly straightforward regional meet. The men of Lee (Tenn.), Florida Southern and Alabama-Huntsville are fairly clearly the best three teams in this field. And while I think Palm Beach Atlantic, Embry-Riddle and Mississippi College are generally underrated, I struggle to see them pulling off an upset on Saturday.
South Central Regional XC Championships
Men's Team Race
Adams State Grizzlies
Colorado Mines Orediggers
Colorado Christian Cougars
Western Colorado Mountaineers
West Texas A&M Buffaloes
UC-Colorado Springs Mountain Lions
Fort Lewis Skyhawks
Analysis: In the grand scheme of things, the order of these top-seven teams shouldn't really have a massive impact on who makes it out of this region. However, the results of the Midwest region, and maybe the West and Central region, are particularly interesting.
It would take a fairly specific scenario, but the South Central could absolutely send more than seven teams to the national meet this year -- maybe as many as nine! Again, that's unlikely to happen, but it's not outside of the realm of possibility.
Southeast Regional XC Championships
Men's Team Race
Wingate Bulldogs
Anderson (SC) Trojans
Flagler Saints
Catawba Indians
Augusta Jaguars
UNC Pembroke Braves
Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters
Analysis: I feel incredibly confident saying that Wingate and Anderson (SC) will take two of the top-three spots in the Southeast region. The 3rd place position will likely be a battle between Flagler and Catawba, although the order in which they finish may not matter based on our collegexc.com calculations.
However, if another team such as Augusta comes through and snags 4th place, then we may not see any at-large bids come out of this region.
West Regional XC Championships
Men's Team Race
Chico State Wildcats
Western Washington Vikings
Cal Poly Pomona Broncos
Alaska Anchorage Seawolves
Biola Eagles
Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks
Fresno Pacific Sunbirds
Analysis: This is a very important region. The top-three teams in our predictions -- Chico State, Western Washington and Cal Poly Pomona -- feel like fairly strong candidates to earn automatic national qualifying spots. And if Alaska Anchorage takes 4th place at the West Regional XC Championships, then they are almost certainly going to the national meet as well.
However, Biola could really spice things up. If they take down Alaska Anchorage for 4th place, then they may end the Seawolves' season early. That could also act as a crucial lifeline for another team in another region, likely the Central region.
2025 Men's NCAA D2 XC Team Qualifying Projections
NOTE: TSR's NCAA D2 qualifying calculations stem from collegexc.com. Please note that this is the first year that collegexc.com is hosting a Division Two calculator for national qualification. It is possible that errors, while rare, are still being found as the calculator is further refined.
Atlantic Region
Charleston (WV) Golden Eagles
Shippensburg Raiders
East Stroudsburg Warriors
Central Region
Northwest Missouri State Bearcats
Pittsburg State Gorillas
Washburn Ichabods
East Region
Southern Connecticut State Owls
Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks
Franklin Pierce Ravens
Midwest Region
Grand Valley State Lakers
Saginaw Valley State Cardinals
Lewis Flyers
Walsh Cavaliers
Ashland Eagles
Michigan Tech Huskies
Tiffin Dragons
South Region
Lee (Tenn.) Flames
Florida Southern Moccasins
Alabama-Huntsville Chargers
South Central Region
Adams State Grizzlies
Colorado Mines Orediggers
Colorado Christian Cougars
Western Colorado Mountaineers
West Texas A&M Buffaloes
UC-Colorado Springs Mountain Lions
Fort Lewis Skyhawks
Southeast Region
Wingate Bulldogs
Anderson (SC) Trojans
Flagler Saints
Catawba Indians
West Region
Chico State Wildcats
Western Washington Vikings
Cal Poly Pomona Broncos
Alaska Anchorage Seawolves
