UPDATED XC Top 25 Teams: Week 11 (11/15)

KEY

(Wasn’t Ranked): Was not ranked the week before.

(#/#):

First number indicates how much the team has moved in the rankings. A plus (with green) means they have improved in the rankings. A minus (with red) means they have regressed in the rankings. Colors may not show on mobile.

The second number indicates where they were ranked the week before.

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25. Utah State Aggies (-3 / 22)

Unsurprisingly, the Aggies finished 7th in the Mountain region and secured their spot to NCAA's. Luckily, they were in no real danger of an upset as the next closest team (New Mexico) was over 60 points behind. The bottom four scorers kept a close pack, but they'll need to collectively move up throughout the race during NCAA's.

24. Iona Gaels (0 / 24)

They may not have won, but Iona showed that they are ready to rebound after placing all five of their scorers in the top 20 at the Northeast region. Gilbert Kirui's absence doesn't appear to be detrimental to the team, Johannes Motschmann and Liam Dee are beginning to run like legitimate low-sticks, and Chartt Miller was able to stick with the top group. If you're looking for a sleeper team at NCAA's, you might want to choose the Gaels

23. Boise State Broncos (-2 / 21)

The Broncos showed a bit more consistency with most of their scorers this past weekend. Miler Haller continues to impress with his 8th place finish while Yusuke Uchikoshi is slowly beginning to rebound after placing 21st. It wasn't their worst race of the season, but with their 5th scorer placing 58th overall, they aren't the most stable team in terms of scoring.

22. Wisconsin Badgers (+1 / 23)

You have to give some credit to the Badgers who were short-handed for the entire year with Morgan McDonald and Olin Hacker both out for the season. Wisconsin finished 3rd overall in the Great Lakes region after Hoare and Hardy placed 3rd and 6th overall. Unfortunately, the Badgers ended their season early after coming within five points from tying Michigan.

21. Mississippi Rebels (-4 / 17)

After their performance at Pre-Nats (where they finished 5th overall), I viewed Ole Miss as a team that could even sneak into the top 15 of our rankings. Although they finished with an automatic berth to NCAA's, the Rebels failed to defeat a Middle Tennessee State team that had a better group of three up front. This team has been very up and down throughout this season. What should we expect from them at NCAA's?

20. Oklahoma State Cowboys (0 / 20)

The Cowboys held it together pretty well in the Midwest region and unsurprisingly secured a spot to NCAA's thanks to a 2nd place run by Hassan Abdi and a 10th place finish by Luis Martinez.

19. Washington Huskies (+6 / 25)

What an incredible race by the Washington Huskies! Portland may have placed three in the top four, but Washington was only two points off from the upset thanks to a brilliant rebound race from Colby Gilbert who placed 5th overall while teammates Andrew Gardner and Andy Snyder finished 7th and 9th overall. A lethal top three along with a much needed boost in the 4th and 5th positions have made the Huskies national contenders once again. This squad seems very reminiscent of their 2015 team that came out of nowhere to finish 8th at NCAA's.

18. Oregon Ducks (-4 / 14)

As expected, Oregon secured a spot to NCAA's with their 4th place in the West region. Tanner Anderson had a huge race with his 6th place finish while Teare and Haney held their own for 23rd and 32nd place. However, the Ducks will need to see some improvement at the 4th and 5th scoring positions after underclassmen Reed Brown and Austin Tamagno finished 42nd and 46th overall.

17. Texas Longhorns (+2 / 19)

The Longhorns got the job done in the South Central region after placing 2nd overall, only 14 points behind Arkansas. It's important to note that Sam Worley was a DNF in this race.

16. Air Force Falcons (+2 / 18)

The Air Force men got the job done in the Mountain region with a strong performance from low-stick Mickey Davey who finished 8th overall. The Falcons were only 15 points off from Colorado State and even showed some improvement in the 4th and 5th scoring. If you're looking for a sleeper team, Air Force might be the team to watch.

15. Iowa State Cyclones (+1 / 16)

Much like Virginia Tech, Iowa State was out of an automatic berth spot late in the race at the Midwest region. Yet, an incredible last 2k put the Cyclones back into mix and got them into Nationals. Had they not finished in the top two, Iowa State most likely would not have secured an at-large bid. If their two races have shown us anything, it's that this team is very resilient.

14. UCLA Bruins (0 / 14)

The Bruins opted not to run their star low-stick (Robert Brandt) at the West Regional Championships this past weekend, but they still walked away with a trip to NCAA's. Oregon did finish 15 points ahead of UCLA, but if Brandt had run, then UCLA is beating Oregon (soundly).

13. Michigan Wolverines (-1 / 12)

12. Michigan State Spartans (+3 / 15)

At BIG 10's we saw Michigan get the best of their in-state rivals by 11 points. At Great Lakes, the tables were turned and Michigan State earned the win this time, also by 11 points. As I mentioned in my predictions, the difference in this race was going to come down to the 4th and 5th scorers. Sure enough, that is what happened. In fact, the Spartans had the better #3 as well. It looks like the 10k distance is doing only good things for the men from East Lansing.

11. Virginia Tech Hokies (0 / 11)

The Hokies definitely scared a few of their fans throughout most of the race after being outside of the top two through 8k. Yet, Virginia Tech gathered themselves and made a hard move in the last 2k to cover a 30 point difference between them and UVA. In the end, VT came away with 2nd place overall and defeated their in-state rivals by over 20 points. It wasn't the best race ever by the Hokies, but they did show that they could cover a point deficit in the final moments of the race.

10. Southern Utah Thunderbirds (0 / 10)

It wasn't the race I was hoping for from the Thunderbirds as many of their top runners didn't have their best days. Still, the teams behind them just weren't impressing me (as much) and 5th place in the Mountain region is still pretty solid. If Mike Tate and Kasey Knevelbaard can run like they did at Notre Dame, then Southern Utah will almost be definitely be locks for a top 10 spot.

9. Arkansas Razorbacks (0 / 9)

As expected, the Razorbacks took control of the race at the South Central conference and secured the win.

8. Colorado State Rams (0 / 8)

No surprise here as the Rams got the job done by finishing 4th overall. Jerrell Mock continues to excel, Cole Rockhold continues to produce consistent performances, and Grant Fischer is thriving at the 10k. All of these signs point to good things from Colorado State at NCAA's.

7. Furman Paladins (0 / 7)

Can we begin to give Furman the respect they deserve? The Paladins took the Southeast win by 54 points over a strong Virginia Tech squad. They placed two in the top 10 and all five in the top 20. Believe it or not, this team could definitely podium on Saturday.

6. Colorado Buffaloes (0 / 6)

Rumors suggest that John Dressel is out for the season after being spotted in a boot at PAC 12's (although that is unconfirmed). Nonetheless, the Buffaloes are beginning to enter postseason form. Joe Klecker just won the individual regional title and the Buffs were only one point off from tying BYU for the 2nd automatic berth. Sure, BYU didn't run their full lineup, but Colorado has shown that they are postseason studs every year.

5. Portland Pilots (-1 / 4)

My goodness, Portland's top three were on FIRE this past weekend! After Emmanuel Roudolff-Levisse established a brutal pace early on (which eventually led to a win), he was able to pull Jeff Thies to a 2nd place finish while Nick Hauger finished 4th. However, Caleb Webb and Noah Schutte finished 27th and 29th respectfully which isn't the best sign ever from a depth standpoint. Still, the Pilots are in a great position to succeed at NCAA's this Saturday.

4. Syracuse Orangemen (+1 / 5)

After their performance at Wisconsin, questions began to arise about how reliable Syracuse's 5th scorer was going to be this season. Yet, at ACC's, that skepticism was quickly put to rest. The Orangemen placed five in the top 10 and actually outscored the rest of the ACC field 27 to 28. It's just another lesson that we should never doubt Syracuse.

3. Stanford Cardinal (0 / 3)

Stanford made it clear that they were simply trying to qualify for NCAA's. After moving their pack up throughout the first 8k of the race, Stanford began to make moves in the final 2k to establish themselves as one of the top teams in the field. No, they didn't place in the top two, but their 3rd finish without Ostberg and a limited effort is a pretty good sign.

2. BYU Cougars (0 / 2)

1. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (0 / 1)

Most of the teams in the Mountain region were simply trying to qualify for NCAA's. NAU walked away with the regional title with a 30 point win over 2nd place BYU. However, it's important to note that neither Casey Clinger nor Jonathan Harper ran for the Cougars.

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KICKED OFF

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JUST MISS (in no order)

Eastern Kentucky Colonels

Campbell Camels

Princeton Tigers

Illinois Fighting Illini'

Alabama Crimson Tide

Eastern Michigan Eagles

Purdue Boilermakers

WHO TO WATCH (in no order)

Washington State Cougars

Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders

NC State Wolfpack

SURPRISE OF THE WEEK

Washington Huskies: In a field of elite talent and national powerhouses, Washington emerged at the top of the West region and secured an automatic berth to NCAA's. Most people expected the Huskies to qualify for NCAA's, but I don't think anyone expected them to do it in this fashion.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

Furman Paladins: For a team that is known for their depth and pack running, they showed incredible firepower and low-stick potential this past weekend at the Southeast region. They quietly dominated a solid Virginia Tech squad as well as a slew of other talented teams.

NOTES

- Middle Tennessee State's upset of Ole Miss would most likely put them at 26th in our rankings.

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