Nov. 3, 2015
Men's Rankings | Women's Rankings
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Following their Big Ten Conference championship performance Sunday in Chicago, the Penn State women's cross country team moved up five spots to No. 10 in the sixth edition of the NCAA Division I Cross Country National Coaches Poll, as announced Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
"For the first time this season we had a complete team performance on Sunday at the Big Ten Championships where everyone ran up to their abilities, helping us move up in the rankings this week," said head coach John Gondak.
"We need to carry that momentum into the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional meet next Friday so we can advance to the NCAA championships in Louisville on Nov. 21."
The Penn State women's cross country program captured its second Big Ten cross country championship on Sunday with 53 points, placing three runners in the top-10 at the Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course.
The Big Ten championship, the Nittany Lions' first title since 2009, vaulted Penn State to their first appearance in the top-10 since Week 7 in 2012.
In the regional rankings, the women's cross country team occupies the No. 1 spot in the Mid-Atlantic region, while the men held steady at the No. 6 spot in the region.
The Nittany Lions travel to Princeton, N.J. for the Mid-Atlantic Regional on Nov. 13.
The men's team recorded a third-place finish at last year's Mid-Atlantic Regional, while the women recorded a fifth-place finish at the regional in University Park, Pa.
This is the penultimate National Coaches' Poll of the season. The final poll will come out two weeks from today after the respective regional championships.
For more on Nittany Lion cross country, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com, visit the official Penn State cross country/track and field Facebook page (facebook.com/PennStateTFXC), or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.