Cross Country Ascends to No. 1 in Southeast Region
10/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Oct. 21, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The No. 25 Wake Forest women's cross country team grabbed its first No. 1 ranking this season in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I Regional Cross Country Poll. Wake Forest overtook North Carolina State as the No. 1 team in the Southeast Region after a third-place showing of 28 teams at the Penn State National Invitational on Oct. 17.
Wake Forest has consistently climbed in the regional rankings all season. With a preseason rank of No. 6 in the Southeast Region, Wake Forest now boasts the No. 1 ranking in the poll's fourth regular-season release. Duke is No. 2 in the Southeast Region, after falling to Wake Forest by 18 points last weekend.
The biggest jump in the standings for Wake Forest came when the women's team skyrocketed from fifth place to second in Week 2's regional poll, following the team's fourth-place finish at the Bill Dellinger Invitational at Oregon on Oct. 4. The Deacons also broke into the national rankings at No. 25 following the meet hosted by the previously top-ranked Ducks.
Other top-ranked regional teams from across the nation include: Arkansas, Florida State, Michigan State, Minnesota, Princeton, Stony Brook, Texas Tech and Washington.
The top two teams from each of the nine regions, following the NCAA Regionals the weekend of Nov. 15, will automatically advance to the NCAA Championships on Nov. 24 in Terre Haute, Ind.
The next action for both the men's and women's cross country teams is Nov. 1, when both squads compete in the ACC Championships hosted by North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The women's 6-kilometer race starts at 10 a.m., followed by the men's 8-kilometer run at 11 a.m. This event is free to the public.
Top Teams from USTFCCCA Division I Women's Southeast Regional Rankings
Week 4 (Oct. 20)
1. WAKE FOREST
2. Duke
3. Virginia Tech
4. North Carolina
5. Kentucky
6. Richmond
Week 3 (Oct. 13)
1. North Carolina State
2. WAKE FOREST
3. Duke
4. Virginia Tech
5. North Carolina
6. Virginia
Week 2 (Oct. 6)
1. North Carolina State
2. WAKE FOREST
3. Duke
4. Virginia Tech
5. North Carolina
6. Virginia
Week 1 (Sept. 29)
1. North Carolina State
2. North Carolina
3. Duke
4. Virginia Tech
5. WAKE FOREST
6. Virginia
Preseason (Sept. 9)
1. Duke
2. North Carolina State
3. North Carolina
4. Kentucky
5. Virginia Tech
6. WAKE FOREST
- WakeForestSports.com -
