NOTRE DAME, Ind. — For the first time since 2007, the Notre Dame men’s cross country team finds themselves ranked in the top-10 nationally as announced Tuesday afternoon (Oct. 30). The USTFCCCA National Coaches’ Poll has the Irish men ranked 10th in the nation following their historic conference championship win last Friday.
The team, which started the season receiving no votes for the top-30, is now 10th in the nation heading into NCAA Regional competition next week. After not receiving votes through week four of the season, the Irish rocketed into the National Coaches’ Poll rankings, coming in 15th. It was their first appearance in the poll since 2012. The last time the men were ranked in the top-10 was week three of the 2007 season when they peaked at seventh in the nation.
“We are going to continue to build on our momentum throughout this season and buy into the program,” assistant coach Sean Carlson said. “If we continue to focus on the process, the results and rankings will take care of themselves.”
The women stayed at 18th nationally in the latest poll, after finishing second in the ACC on Friday. Entering the season in 23rd, the Irish women have continuously climbed in the rankings peaking at 18th in week five, and holding that spot heading into next week’s regionals.
Both teams have finished in the top-five at every competition this season, including a fourth/fifth place finish at the Pre-National Invitationals where the women had three top-20 finishers to claim the fourth place spot to conclude the regular season. At the ACC Championships last weekend in Boston, the teams went one/two, highlighted by the men’s first-ever ACC title and the women falling to NC State by one point for a second place finish.
The Irish have a week off before competing at the NCAA Great Lakes Regionals November 9 in Terra Haute, Indiana. The men currently rank second in the region while the women hold the fifth spot. –ND–