Cross Country Week 1 Rankings: Cyclones hold steady

Iowa State distance runner Abby Caldwell nears the finish line after running a 6k during the 2018 Big 12 Cross Country Championships held on Oct. 26 at Iowa State. Caldwell placed 29th overall for the women’s division with a time of 21:23.0. The women’s team placed first overall with a score of 35, winning the Championships.

Adarsh Tamma
September 17, 2019

The Iowa State Cyclones are standing pat in the first United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll released on Tuesday.

Both the men’s and women’s squads retained their respective positions in the 30-team poll, in contrast to some of the other shifts in both rankings from the past two weeks of races.

The women’s team kept its No. 17 ranking this week, as the Cyclones are coming off a second-place finish at the Hawkeye Invitational on Sept. 6th led by individual champion, senior Abby Caldwell. Caldwell also collected the honors of Big 12 and USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week this past Monday.

The Cyclones also maintained their No. 1 ranking in the Midwest Regional, as they remain strong favorites to win their regional as an automatic bid to the national championships on Nov. 23rd.

Coach Amy Rudolph and her squad have two weeks until the next test of the season as they will travel to South Bend, Indiana, for the annual Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational. They will be competing with plenty of ranked opponents, highlighted by No. 1 Colorado, the defending national champions.

On the men’s side, Coach Martin Smith and his group hope to defend their No. 5 ranking this Saturday at the John McNichols Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana. The team will run against six of the current top-30 teams, led by three-time defending national champ Northern Arizona.

The men’s team also retained their top Midwest Regional ranking, led by All-American and defending national bronze medalist Edwin Kurgat.

Kurgat is looking for a strong close to his final season with the Cyclones as they hope to make a big splash in the national championships this November.

Men’s Rankings:

1. Northern Arizona

2. BYU

3. Washington

4. Colorado

5. Iowa State

6. Portland

7. Stanford

8. Oklahoma State

9. Wisconsin

10. Notre Dame

11. Oregon