How do teams qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships?

– The top two teams in each region secure automatic bids for the NCAA Championships. That makes 18 men’s and women’s teams that we'll know by the final results.

– The top four individual finishers who do not attend a school that advances to the NCAA Championships via an auto-bid or an at-large big will get to compete individually. They have to finish within the top 25 of their respective region.

– If a team finishes outside of the top three, 13 at-large teams are determined by the NCAA Division I Cross Country Subcommittee via the Kolas Calculator, which takes into account “points” via wins from the regular season over the teams that auto-qualified.

– You may read or hear about references to a “push.” That means, a team that finishes in a good position at the NCAA Regional Championships but doesn’t have enough points for an at-large bid, can get in if the team that finishes behind them has enough points to be the next at-large team to qualify.

Great Lakes Region | Live Results

Women's start: 12:30 p.m. ET | Men's: start: 1:30 p.m. ET

Men’s Projected Auto Qualifiers: Wisconsin and Butler

Isaac’s Take: “Wisconsin has been a Top 5 or 6 team all year, in my opinion. They didn’t have a great race on their home course at Nuttycombe but they looked great at the Big Ten Conference Championship. They’re a dark horse podium team for the NCAA Championships for sure. Then, you look at Butler and see how great of a job coach Matt Roe has done in building that program. The other team that will be in the mix will be Notre Dame. I don’t think it’s a done deal that Butler is safe in that No. 2 spot. Does Michigan sneak in there? The Great Lakes region is always one of the most exciting regional races.”

Women’s Projected Auto Qualifiers: Notre Dame and Michigan State

Isaac’s Take: “I like Michigan State in that second spot. They’re a program that has been there and done that. They won a NCAA Championship in the last 10 years. They always have great depth. It will be tight with Wisconsin for the auto berth. The edge goes to the Spartans because their 1-2 punch of Katie Osika (sister of pro runner Shannon Osika) and Makenna Veen is really good. Wisconsin will need their backend depth to carry them through.”

Midatlantic Region | Live Results | Live Stream

Women's start: 12:00 p.m. ET | Men's: start: 1:00 p.m. ET

Men’s Projected Auto Qualifiers: Princeton and Villanova

Isaac’s Take: “I think it will be close between Princeton and Villanova. I’ve liked Princeton all year. Between those two, it will be interesting where Villanova’s No. 4 and No. 5 runners will come through because they’ll likely go 1-2 with Liam Murphy and Haftu Strintzos. After that, Princeton could put five guys before Villanova’s No. 4. I think that makes the race pretty interesting. Georgetown is in a good spot because they’ve scored points earlier in the year. As long as their men get third, they should be good. It’s always the same three schools coming out of this one every year.”

Women’s Projected Auto Qualifiers: Georgetown and Penn State

Isaac’s Take: “I’ve got a sleeper in this one. I like Penn’s women for third. Right now, they haven’t gotten a ton of love. I could see them sneaking in there on a really good day. Georgetown is winning this thing. Penn State is in a good position for No. 2. Penn, Princeton and Villanova will have a nice battle for the third spot. It’s a bit weird to see Villanova have a bit of a down year compared to how we traditionally view them in cross country.”

Midwest Region | Live Results | Live Stream

Women's start: 11:30 a.m. ET | Men's: start: 12:30 p.m. ET

Men’s Projected Auto Qualifiers: Oklahoma State and Iowa State

Isaac’s Take: “This is a bit of a yawner. Oklahoma State will walk away with that thing. Coach Dave Smith could put an entirely different seven guys than we’ve seen this season and still probably win. Iowa State always brings in quality athletes and they have a couple of good JUCO transfers. The one sneaky team in here is Loyola-Chicago. Coach Gavin Kennedy has that squad rolling.”

Women’s Projected Auto Qualifiers: Oklahoma State and Iowa State

Isaac’s Take: “It seems like it’s always Oklahoma State and Iowa State. Minnesota has been pretty good in years past but not as much lately so it’s the Cowboys and Cyclones show.”

Mountain Region | Live Results

Women's start: 11:30 a.m. ET | Men's: start: 12:30 p.m. ET

Men’s Projected Auto Qualifiers: NAU and BYU

Isaac’s Take: “It’s a preview of the NCAA Championships, if both teams were to actually run their horses but they won’t. It’s a battle of who can do the least and still move on. That’s what that race always ends up being. No one wants to put it all out over 10K just eight days before NCAAs. Why would you? This race does matter for Montana State, which has been on the cusp of the Top 30 all year. They have to get pushed in for the NCAA Championships since they don’t have the points. They need to get fourth or fifth to get pushed into the championships by a Colorado or Air Force. That’s maybe the most interesting thing about this race. I think 5 teams go from this region – NAU, BYU, New Mexico, Air Force and Colorado. If Montana State sneaks in, that’s one less at-large team getting in, which makes it interesting for a Michigan State or Washington maybe missing the meet.”

Women’s Projected Auto Qualifiers: NAU and BYU

Isaac’s Take: “I think six teams could come out of this one (NAU, BYU, Colorado, Utah Utah Valley and Colorado State). Colorado State has a lot of points. The question for Utah Valley is that they have 2-3 points, maybe? Sometimes that’s enough. They’ll need to get a push just to feel confident that they can get in. I think they get either Colorado State or Utah to push them in.”

Northeast Region | Live Results

Women's start: 11:00 a.m. ET | Men's: start: 12:00 p.m. ET

Men’s Projected Auto Qualifiers: Syracuse and Harvard

Isaac’s Take: “I think Syracuse is the better team because they have a little more talent but Harvard will run very well here. It’s a runaway between those two. Iona is the only other team of real class in that region and I think they could get in with their points.”

Women’s Projected Auto Qualifiers: Harvard and Syracuse

Isaac’s Take: “Harvard’s NCAA 1500m champion Maia Ramsden is the best woman in the field. There are also some other good individuals with Syracuse’s Savannah Roark, Providence’s Kimberley May and Columbia’s Phoebe Anderson. It’s Providence vs. Syracuse vs. Harvard. I actually may lean toward Providence and Syracuse in winning the race. Harvard has plenty of points and we’ll just have to see what they decide to do from a racing standpoint. It’s these three teams and then everyone else.”

South Region | Live Results | Live Stream

Women's start: 8:30 a.m. ET | Men's: start: 9:30 a.m. ET

Men’s Projected Auto Qualifiers: Alabama and Tennessee

Isaac’s Take: “It should be a nice battle between ‘Bama, Tennessee and Florida State. We saw the Vols and Crimson Tide go head-to-head at SECs. The Regional meets are a bit of a different race with more bodies. I don’t know if it will be as quality as SECs. I do like Tennessee’s overall depth. They don’t have the heavy hitters that Alabama has upfront because when Eliud Kipsang is running his best, that makes them dangerous for a 1-2-3. Tennessee has stronger depth and I like them for the win. Alabama and Florida State may be closer than people think. The Noles is strong with their 4-5-6-7 pack running together. They’ve had guys who haven’t had great races that are due like an Ahmed Ibrahim. Middle Tennessee is also a team to watch here. I see three coming out of this one: Alabama, Tennessee and Florida State.”

Women’s Projected Auto Qualifiers: Florida and Tennessee

Isaac’s Take: “I think five teams could come out of this one – Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Lipscomb and Ole Miss. I don’t know if there’s ever been a time when they had this many teams coming out of this region. The firepower upfront in this one is unbelievable. If you’re in the Top 10 in the South Region, you’re looking at being in the Top 15 or 20 in the actual NCAA Championships. That’s how loaded this race is going to be.”

South Central Region | Live Results

Women's start: 11:30 a.m. ET | Men's: start: 12:30 p.m. ET

Men’s Projected Auto Qualifiers: Arkansas and Texas

Isaac’s Take: “It’s a bit of a yawner here. It’s Arkansas and Texas. Chalk.”

Women’s Projected Auto Qualifiers: Arkansas and Tulane

Isaac’s Take: “Coach Adrian Myers has done a great putting that program together. He’s only been there since 2021. He’s put a heavy focus into the transfer portal and some international recruiting. The South Central is always an interesting region on the women’s side where it’s always been Arkansas and a revolving door for that second spot. In past years, it’s been SMU, Texas or Texas A&M. Tulane looks like the one this year.”

Southeast Region | Live Results

Women's start: 11:00 a.m. ET | Men's: start: 12:00 p.m. ET

Men’s Projected Auto Qualifiers: North Carolina and Furman

Isaac’s Take: “There could be five teams coming out of this one. UNC, Furman, Virginia, Eastern Kentucky (they managed to get some points earlier in the year and have assembled one of their best teams in recent years) and Wake Forest. For the Deamon Deacons, it all depends on where Rocky Hansen is at. He did not run at the ACC Conference Championships and finished sixth. Is he healthy enough to get through a 10K? A true freshman dinged up running a 10K would concern me. A lot is going to be on the line. Furman deserves kudos and has put it together for a long time. They need to make sure they’re in the Top 4 to get through to nationals.”

Women’s Projected Auto Qualifiers: NC State and Virginia

Isaac’s Take: “NC State is the defending champion. Virginia has looked strong all season. Furman is in a good spot. It’s kind of crazy to think that UNC’s women may not make the meet just one year after finishing fifth last year. I’m not calling them out of it yet. I think they could sneak in if they get a push from Furman.”

West Region | Live Results

Women's start: 1:00 p.m. ET | Men's: start: 2:00 p.m. ET

Men’s Projected Auto Qualifiers: Cal Baptist and Stanford

Isaac’s Take: “I’ve been high on CBU all year. They might win the West Regional! They’ve received the credit that they deserve now with a No. 4 ranking in the latest Coaches Poll. CBU and Stanford should be the auto bids. What’s crazy is that Gonzaga doesn’t have a lot of points. If they get third, could that block Washington, Boise State or Portland? That might get wacky. If you’re Gonzaga, Washington, Boise State, Portland or Oregon, you NEED to get third. Washington is the kind of team that could finish third here and then come in the Top 10 at NCAAs. They’re that talented and experienced. This is the most interesting race of the whole weekend.”

Women’s Projected Auto Qualifiers: Stanford and Washington

Isaac’s Take: “Five teams should make it out of this one. The Washington vs. Stanford matchup will be really fun to watch because the Dawgs managed to win their fourth title in program history, their first since 2009 and the final one ever for the PAC-12 by just two points over Stanford on their home course. Washington looked really good. Oregon State and Oregon is another fun match-up. I feel confident that it will be Stanford, Washington, Cal Baptist, Oregon and Oregon State going through.”