» Michigan Mark Maloney on sports

NCAA-bound Cats unable to crack Top 30

November 18, 2008

Kentucky, having qualified for the women’s NCAA Cross Country Championships for the first time since 1989, apparently has more to prove at that meet (Monday, Nov. 24, at Terre Haute, Ind.).

The Wildcats are nowhere to be found in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s final poll of the season. Thirty teams make the poll. UK is the last of two teams in the “others receiving votes” category — No. 32.

And Virginia, which beat the Cats for first place in the Southeast Regional, is a modest No. 28.

Washington and Oregon, 1-2 finishers in the Pac-10 and NCAA West Regional, remain 1-2 in the poll.

South Regional champion Florida State is third.

Michigan made the biggest jump, moving nine places to No. 10 after winning the Great Lakes Regional.

The Women’s Division I Cross Country National Poll:

Ranking	Team (first place votes)	Region-Finish	Totals	Previous
1	Washington - (12)	West-1	360	1
2	Oregon	West-2	343	2
3	Florida State	South-1	337	3
4	Princeton	Mid-Atlantic-1	324	4
5	West Virginia	Mid-Atlantic-1	308	6
6	Minnesota	Midwest-1	296	7
7	Villanova	Mid-Atlantic-3	280	5
8	Michigan	Great Lakes-1	265	17
9	Texas Tech	Mountain-1	260	9
10	Wisconsin	Great Lakes-2	243	8
11	Arkansas	South Central-1	237	12
12	Stanford	West-3	232	11
13	Michigan State	Great Lakes-3	222	10
14	Illinois	Midwest-2	212	14
15	Arizona State	West-4	178	16
16	Florida	South-2	176	15
17	Georgetown	Mid-Atlantic-4	170	13
18	Baylor	South Central-2	156	18
19	Rice	South Central-2	153	22
20	Providence	Northeast-1	144	24
21	New Mexico	Mountain-2	115	21
22	Nebraska	Midwest-3	101	29
23	Iowa	Midwest-4	84	20
24	SMU	South Central-4	79	19
25	Syracuse	Northeast-2	72	NR
26	Northern Arizona	Mountain-3	54	28
27	Boston College	Northeast-3	48	27
28	Virginia	Southeast-1	44	NR
29	Stony Brook	Northeast-4	33	23
30	Notre Dame	Great Lakes-4	23	NR