Gopher Women Rise to #4 in NCAA Poll; Men Fall to #14, but Mead Honored

If the pollsters are correct, the University of Minnesota women's cross country team is worthy of a trophy at the NCAA championships this November.

The Golden Gophers are ranked #4 in the latest NCAA Division I poll, thanks to their victory at the Griak Invitational last Saturday, where the Gophers topped then-#5-ranked Arizona State 31-46.

The #4 ranking is the highest ranking ever achieved by the Gopher women. The team had opened the season ranked #9 in the pre-season poll.

"Obviously this #4 national ranking marks an exciting day for our program, but you don’t coach this long without knowing that a poll is just a poll,” head coach Gary Wilson, in his 24th season at Minnesota, said in a media release. “We have a veteran team though that understands this high of a national rank is a compliment to our program and that they have a lot of work to do this season to live up to it."

Oregon leads the rankings, followed by Washington, and Florida State. Big Ten Rivals Michigan State, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan all make the top-15.

The full women's poll can be found HERE.

Gopher Men Fall ... The Gopher men's team dropped to #14 in the rankings after their 4th-place finish at Griak. Big Ten rivals Wisconsin (#6) and Michigan (#8) out-rank the Gophers in the poll. The Gopher men were ranked #9 in the pre-season poll.

Defending champs Oregon top the men's poll, followed by Oklahoma State, Colorado, and Iona.

Full men's rankings can be found HERE.

Mead Earns Honor ... Gopher men's star Hassan Mead, a sophomore from Minneapolis South High School, was named the Big Ten Athlete of the Week for his runner-up finish at the Griak Invitational.

Mead's time of 24:07 is the fastest ever by a Gopher on the home course.