Dozen Pac-12 Cross Country teams ranked as Utah women join latest USTFCCCA poll
SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 will enter a major weekend of racing with a national-best 12 ranked cross country programs as the UTAH women joined the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Week 3 rankings released on Tuesday.
USTFCCCA MEN’S POLL (Week 3)
4. Stanford (-)
7. Colorado (-)
11. Oregon (-3)
12. Washington (+12)
15. Washington State (-2)
23. UCLA (-3)
USTFCCCA WOMEN’S POLL (Week 3)
2. Colorado (-)
3. Stanford (-)
4. Oregon (-)
16. Washington (+1)
21. California (-)
24. Utah (+10)
The Pac-12’s combined 12 ranked teams are the most of any conference in the country, highlighted by six top-30 men’s programs, which are double the next closest league, and six top-30 women’s programs, which is tied for the most with the Big Ten, including three in the top 5.
The Utah women’s team jumped from receiving votes to No. 24 – an improvement of 10 spots – thanks to an impressive third-place showing at the Battle in Beantown in which the Utes finished ahead of four ranked teams – Minnesota, Dartmouth, Syracuse and Providence.
However, the Pac-12’s largest poll movement of the week belonged to the WASHINGTON men, who climbed 12 spots to No. 12 following a runner-up finish to No. 10 Syracuse at the Battle in Beantown where the Huskies beat out a trio of ranked programs in Mississippi State, Virginia and Campbell. It is Washington’s highest ranking since appearing at No. 8 in the 2016 Week 1 poll.
Eight of the Pac-12’s dozen ranked teams will be in competition this week at a trio of national events – Notre Dame’s Joe Piane Invitational and Wisconsin’s Nuttycombe Invitational on Friday, Sept. 28, and the Stanford Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 29.
The 2018 Pac-12 Championships will be hosted by Stanford at the Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 26. For the second straight year, the Championships will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks with racing starting at 11 a.m. PT.
The NCAA Mountain and West Regionals will be held Friday, Nov. 9 in Provo, Utah and Sacramento, Calif., respectively, with teams advancing to the 2018 NCAA Championships in Madison, Wisc., on Saturday, Nov. 17.
The Pac-12 will be looking to add to its distinction as the winningest conference in NCAA Cross Country history this fall as current league members boast the most combined team national championships (28 – 16 men/12 women) and individual titles (28 – 25 men/3 women) of any league in the country.