The United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association [USTFCCCA] ranks ISU women’s cross country team No. 1 and men’s team No. 3 in a recent poll.

The women’s team returns five of seven starting runners from a group that finished as regional champion and Big 12 champion last year. It is one of three Big 12 schools to crack the top six in the Midwest rankings. 

The women’s squad will look for its fifth-straight regional championship and fourth-straight Big 12 championship this season.

The men’s team remains ranked No. 3 as it was at the end of last year’s campaign. It is ranked second highest in the Big 12 behind first-ranked Oklahoma. 

The men’s and women’s teams will compete in their first competition of the season when they travel to Des Moines on Aug. 29 for the Bulldog 4K Classic.