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PREDICTIONS: 2024 D2 XC Regional Championship Weekend (Teams)

  • Writer: Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
    Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
  • Nov 7, 2024
  • 10 min read

The upcoming weekend is a big one for our Division Two readers.


That's because on Saturday, Division Two teams will toe the line for their respective regional championships. 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 both the men's and women's sides. 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 did 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 important) handful of ways.


Admittedly, my comprehension of the D2 national qualifying system pales in comparison to the D1 Kolas calculator. As such, I will not be specifically predicting which teams will or will not get into this year's national meet.


Even so, based on the orders of the teams in each region, you may be able to get a gist of which teams may or may not be in contention to book their ticket to Sacramento, California.


With all of that being said, let's begin...

Atlantic Regional XC Championships


Men's Team Race

  1. Davis & Elkins Senators

  2. Shippensburg Raiders

  3. Charleston (WV) Golden Eagles

  4. Indiana (PA) Crimson Hawks

  5. East Stroudsburg Warriors

  6. Slippery Rock

  7. Concord Mountain Lions


Analysis: The last thing I want to do is just look at the regional rankings from the USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll and list those same teams (in order) for our predictions. But truthfully, we're expecting this race to be pretty chalk, especially with Davis & Elkins being the best team in the field...by far.


The Shippensburg and Charleston (WV) men should be favored for the final two automatic qualifying spots. However, Indiana (PA), East Stroundsburg and maybe Slippery Rock are capable of mixing things up. I do think that Indiana (PA) is going to be better in a larger field like they were at the Paul Short Run earlier this season.


Women's Team Race

  1. Slippery Rock

  2. Davis & Elkins Senators

  3. Shippensburg Raiders

  4. East Stroudsburg Senators

  5. Point Park Pioneers

  6. Edinboro Fighting Scots

  7. Charleston (WV) Golden Eagles


Analysis: While I do think that the Davis & Elkins women are the favorites coming into this race, I don't think Slippery Rock is too far off from them. They did, after all, just finish seven points behind the Senators at the Paul Short Run earlier this season.


But regardless of who takes the top-two spots, it's the third automatic qualifying spot that will likely be a bit more interesting. I am somewhat high on the Point Park women. Their performance at the Mountain East XC Championships was arguably their "worst" race of the season and they have been excellent outside of that run.


Edinboro is also far better than what their 8th place finish at the PSAC XC Championships would suggest. They were without a small handful of crucial scorers for that race. As long as those women return and are in top form, I could see them easily outperforming current expectations.


Central Regional XC Championships


Men's Team Race

  1. East Central Tigers

  2. Northwest Missouri Bearcats

  3. Pittsburg State Gorillas

  4. Augustana (SD) Vikings

  5. Nebraska-Kearney Lopers

  6. Washburn Ichabods

  7. Central Missouri Mules


Analysis: I truthfully don't love the recent lack of momentum that we've seen out East Central lately. The Northwest Missouri men have looked incredibly strong this season and they just got a big confidence booster after winning the MIAA title over Pittsburg State (another great team).


I do have the Augustana (SD) men falling out of the automatic qualifying spots. While they did comfortably win the NSIC title, they also didn't face a ton of national-caliber competition at that meet. And after their slightly underwhelming showing at the Lewis XC Crossover earlier this fall, I'm hesitant to say that they'll be an automatic qualifying team on Saturday.


Women's Team Race

  1. Augustana (SD) Vikings

  2. Pittsburg State Gorillas

  3. U-Mary Marauders

  4. Winona State Warriors

  5. Rogers State Hillcats

  6. Nebraska-Kearney Lopers

  7. Fort Hays State Tigers


Analysis: Admittedly, I don't love the current spot that the Augustana (SD) women are in right now. Sure, they won their conference title over U-Mary and Winona State, but it wasn't as convincing of a win as we thought it'd be. The Vikings still don't have Amanda Overgaauw and All-American Aubrey Surage was out for the team's last race.


Even so, it would take a fairly significant collapse for the Vikings to not be a top-three team on Saturday.


Behind them, Pittsburg State and U-Mary should be the other two automatic qualifiers. However, Winona State has been right behind the Marauders in their last few meets. Don't be surprised if a larger field allows the Warriors to fill-in the gaps between U-Mary's women.


East Regional XC Championships


Men's Team Race

  1. Southern Connecticut State Owls

  2. Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks

  3. Bentley Falcons

  4. Assumption Greyhounds

  5. Wilmington (DE) Wildcats

  6. Caldwell Cougars

  7. Franklin Pierce Ravens


Analysis: When it comes to the top spot in this race, you could argue in favor of either the Southern Connecticut State men or the Roberts Wesleyan men. The former defeated the latter at the Lewis XC Crossover, but both teams were missing key names for that outing.


Of course, the title itself isn't as important as simply advancing to the national meet.


The final spot, however, is going to be somewhat wide-open. Bentley and Assumption just tied at their conference meet, but the former has been the better team this fall. Either of those two teams could realistically snag 3rd, although the remainder of this field is truthfully pretty underwhelming.


Women's Team Race

  1. Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks

  2. Bentley Falcons

  3. Southern New Hampshire Penmen

  4. Southern Connecticut State Owls

  5. Daemen Wildcats

  6. Molloy Lions

  7. St. Anslem Hawks


I feel pretty good about the Roberts Wesleyan women taking the top spot in this race. However, the rest of this region is a mess.


Southern Connecticut State proved at the Paul Short Run that they are much better than what their recent conference meet result suggests. Even so, Bentley and Southern New Hampshire were incredibly close to each at the NE-10 XC Championships with St. Anslem not far behind.


To put it simply, the second and third automatic qualifying spots in this region are going to be an all-out brawl. This will be a battle where one team is going to come agonizingly close, but ultimately miss out on a top-three finish.


Midwest Regional XC Championships


Men's Team Race

  1. Grand Valley State Lakers

  2. Lewis Flyers

  3. Michigan Tech Huskies

  4. Saginaw Valley State Cardinals

  5. Hillsdale Chargers

  6. Findlay Oilers

  7. Drury Panthers


Analysis: Unless something bizarre happens, the Grand Valley State men and the Lewis men are going to take two of the top-three automatic qualifying spots.


But the third spot? Well, that seems to be up for grabs.


Michigan Tech beat Saginaw Valley State at the Lewis Crossover (somewhat comfortably). However, the Cardinals then returned the favor at their conference meet. Hillsdale won the G-MAC title, but they "only" defeated Findlay by 10 points, a team that has two of the top low-sticks in this field.


Drury, meanwhile, was the runner-up team at the GLVC XC Championships, 34 points behind Lewis. How many teams in this field (other than Grand Valley State) could have realistically come within 20 points of the Flyers?


Be sure to monitor this race on Friday, it could potentially be a thriller.


Women's Team Race

  1. Grand Valley State Lakers

  2. Lewis Flyers

  3. Wayne State (MI) Warriors

  4. Walsh Cavaliers

  5. Cedarville Yellow Jackets

  6. Hillsdale Chargers

  7. UW-Parkside Rangers


Analysis: Just like the men's race, the Grand Valley State women and Lewis women are heavy favorites to take two of the top-three spots in this field. However, the third automatic qualifying spot seemingly has four different contenders.


The Wayne State (MI) women are likely favored for bronze given that they haven't lost to any of the above-listed teams not named Grand Valley State or Lewis. Even so, the efforts that we've seen from Walsh have been quietly impressive. Cedarville usually peaks for the postseason and Hillsdale is better than some people realize.


Wayne State (MI) is getting my nod for that third spot. Even so, their underwhelming effort at the Louisville XC Classic earlier this season does show us that the Warriors aren't impervious to "off" days.


South Regional XC Championships


Men's Team Race

  1. Lee (Tenn.) Flames

  2. Alabama-Huntsville Chargers

  3. Florida Southern Moccasins

  4. Mississippi College Choctaws

  5. Tampa Spartans

  6. Embry-Riddle Eagles

  7. Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish


Analysis: I hate to give predictions that are so...well, predictable. But this race should be fairly chalk.


The gaps in talent between each of these teams are fairly defined. Lee (Tenn.), Alabama-Huntsville and Florida Southern are the very clear favorites to earn a top-three finish in this field.


However, keep an eye on Mississippi College, a program with a sneaky-good lineup structure which has limited gaps through four runners. If any team in this race is going to break up the top-three in our predictions, it will be them.


Women's Team Race

  1. Lee (Tenn.) Flames

  2. Nova Southeastern Sharks

  3. Tampa Spartans

  4. Florida Southern Moccasins

  5. Alabama-Huntsville Chargers

  6. Mississippi College Choctaws

  7. Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish


Analysis: The first two spots in this race feel like they are locks to go to Lee (Tenn.) and Nova Southeastern. Simply put, those two teams have been better than everyone else in this region so far this fall.


Tampa and Florida Southern are extremely similar as far as talent is concerned. And while the latter did beat the former by one point at their conference meet, it was Spartans who were noticeably better than the Moccasins at the UAH Chargers XC Invitational earlier this fall.


Given that Saturday will be a fairly large and reasonably competitive field, I'll take Tampa to get the edge on Florida Southern for the final automatic qualifying spot.


South Central Regional XC Championships


Men's Team Race

  1. Colorado Mines Orediggers

  2. Adams State Grizzlies

  3. West Texas A&M Buffaloes

  4. Colorado Christian Cougars

  5. Western Colorado Mountaineers

  6. UC-Colorado Springs Mountain Lions

  7. CSU-Pueblo ThunderWolves


Analysis: If you have already viewed the results of the RMAC XC Championships, then you likely have an idea of what the results of this race are going to look like.


However, the South Central region introduces West Texas A&M into the fold. Not only that, but the Colorado Christian men are notorious for resting their top names at their conference meet before releasing them back into racing for the regional and national meets.


Although the Orediggers and Grizzlies are essentially locks to earn automatic qualifying spots, the final automatic qualifying position should be up for grabs. If we had to guess, West Texas A&M likely has the chance of earning that spot given their mass amount of firepower. However, CCU typically peaks well for this meet and Western Colorado is better than what they showed us last time.


Of course, given how accomplished this field is, each of those seven teams should be able to advance to the national meet one way or another.


Women's Team Race

  1. Adams State Grizzlies

  2. Colorado Mines Orediggers

  3. West Texas A&M Buffaloes

  4. CSU-Pueblo ThunderWolves

  5. UC-Colorado Springs Mountain Lions

  6. Western Colorado Mountaineers

  7. Fort Lewis Skyhawks


Analysis: Adams State and Colorado Mines will almost certainly go 1-2 in this race on Saturday, but bronze may be up for grabs. The return of Sarah Koomson as a nationally competitive low-stick should give West Texas A&M enough of an edge to secure that spot.


However, CSU-Pueblo is arguably talented enough to defeat the Buffaloes and the same could be said for UCCS and Western Colorado. Each of those teams have to make some (admittedly significant) tweaks to their lineups in order for that to happen, but it is possible.


Southeast Regional XC Championships


Men's Team Race

  1. Wingate Bulldogs

  2. Augusta Jaguars

  3. Anderson (SC) Trojans

  4. Catawba Indians

  5. Flagler Saints

  6. UNC-Pembroke Braves

  7. Converse Valkyries


Analysis: This race is going to be very straightforward. Wingate is unstoppable, Augusta is very clearly the second-best team in this field and Anderson (SC) is very underrated if you look at their season as a whole.

Sure, Catawba does have a realistic enough chance of upsetting the Anderson (SC) men for bronze. Even so, we feel pretty confident in how our above-listed picks will play out on Saturday.


Women's Team Race

  1. Wingate Bulldogs

  2. Catawba Indians

  3. Flagler Saints

  4. Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters

  5. Anderson (SC) Trojans

  6. Augusta Jaguars

  7. North Greenville Trailblazers


Analysis: There may be some debate about how deserves the 2nd place spot in our predictions. We're taking Catawba for silver given that they were the runner-up finishers at the Paul Short Run (Brown race) earlier this season.


Even so, none of that matters much in the grand scheme of things. Wingate, Catawba and Flagler will be clear favorites to take the top-three spots in this field on Saturday. However, both Lincoln Memorial and Anderson (SC) are capable of upsetting one of those teams when you consider that they remained somewhat competitive with Catawba at the SAC XC Championships.


West Regional XC Championships


Men's Team Race

  1. Chico State Wildcats

  2. Western Washington Vikings

  3. Azusa Pacific Cougars

  4. Biola Eagles

  5. Cal Poly Pomona Broncos

  6. CUI Golden Eagles

  7. Stanislaus State Warriors


Analysis: Like many of the races that we've discussed today, the top-two men's spots in the West region seem to be locked down. However, the third and final automatic qualifying spot is a bit of a toss up.


Sure, Azusa Pacific did Biola at their conference meet recently, but the Eagles have simply looked better throughout the entirety of the season. Of course, at the same time it's not like the Azusa Pacific men have done anything to truly hurt their stock.


Cal Poly Pomona has had a few moments of promise this season and the Broncos seemingly have enough potential to be a very deep sleeper in this field. That, however, would require them to replicate and build upon their sneaky-good run at the DBU Old Glory Gallop from earlier this season.


Women's Team Race

  1. Chico State Wildcats

  2. Western Washington Vikings

  3. Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks

  4. Biola Eagles

  5. Stanislaus State Warriors

  6. Alaska Anchorage Seawolves

  7. Cal Poly Pomona Broncos


Analysis: We all believe that Chico State and Western Washington will be automatic qualifiers on Saturday, right? Ok, good. Let's move on.


I know that the Alaska Fairbanks women didn't necessarily have their best outing at the GNAC XC Championships. On that stage, they lost comfortably to Western Washington and narrowly pulled away from Alaska Anchorage.


However, this is the same team that was excellent at the Lewis XC Crossover, placing 5th overall. There is a realistic chance their top-two women go 1-2 on Saturday and the Nanooks thrive one again in a larger field.


While their latest effort isn't ideal, there also isn't one glaring result on their resume that truly stands out like a sore thumb. Could Biola take home that 3rd place spot on Saturday? Yes, they absolutely could. However, in a field like this, I like Alaska Fairbanks' lineup structure a little bit more.

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