University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers' Ranked 3rd in Preseason Midwest Region Poll
8/29/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Aug. 29, 2011
NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released preseason regional rankings for the NCAA Division I 2011 season on Monday. Three men’s and four women’s teams, who are defending champions in their respective regions, top the season’s initial rankings.
Minnesota is ranked third in the Midwest Region followed by fellow Big Ten competitor Illinois. Iowa sits at seventh while newcomer Nebraska is ranked 10th. The state of Oklahoma represents the Midwest as of right now with Oklahoma State being ranked first followed by Oklahoma at second.
The national preseason coaches’ poll will be released on Tuesday.
| MIDWEST Region | ||||
| Rank | School | Location | Conference | 2010 FINAL |
| 1 | Oklahoma State | Stillwater, Okla. | Big 12 | 2 |
| 2 | Oklahoma | Norman, Okla. | Big 12 | 1 |
| 3 | Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minn. | Big Ten | 3 |
| 4 | Illinois | Champaign, Ill. | Big Ten | 5 |
| 5 | Tulsa | Tulsa, Okla. | Conference USA | 6 |
| 6 | Iowa State | Ames, Iowa | Big 12 | 4 |
| 7 | Iowa | Iowa City, Iowa | Big Ten | 7 |
| 8 | South Dakota State | Brookings, S.D. | Summit League | 8 |
| 9 | Southern Illinois | Carbondale, Ill. | Missouri Valley | 9 |
| 10 | Nebraska | Lincoln, Neb. | Big Ten | 10 |
| 11 | Kansas | Lawrence, Kan. | Big 12 | 11 |
| 12 | Drake | Des Moines, Iowa | Missouri Valley | 17 |
| 13 | Illinois Chicago | Chicago, Ill. | Horizon | 12 |
| 14 | North Dakota State | Fargo, N.D. | Summit League | 13 |
| 15 | Loyola-Chicago | Chicago, Ill. | Horizon | 14 |
Italic-Big Ten School
Release Courtesy of Tom Lewis, USTFCCCA
