By Paul Hof-Mahoney
November 18, 2024
The 2024 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships are finally here! The races kick off Saturday morning from a chilly Madison (okay, technically Verona), Wisconsin, at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course. CITIUS MAG will have a team on-site bringing you a preview show, interviews with the stars of the meet, and all the coverage across our website, YouTube, Instagram, X, Threads, and BlueSky you could ever want.
The meet will be broadcast on ESPNU for two-and-a-half uninterrupted hours, starting with a preview show at 9:30 a.m. ET before the women’s race at 10:20 and the men’s at 11:10. If you want to impress your watch party with your depth of historic collegiate cross country knowledge, here’s a quick rundown of some of the most important stats to know:
Who has won the most team titles?
Men - The Arkansas Razorbacks have the most men’s team titles, with a total that currently sits at 11. All 11 came under coach John McDonnell from 1984 to 2000, meaning the Razorback men are currently in the midst of a 24-year drought. That being said, 2024 could be as good a year as any for them to break that streak. They’ve picked up impressive team wins at Wisconsin Pre-Nats, SEC Championships, and South Central regionals and are currently ranked 3rd in the country.
The two favorites for this year’s championship are Oklahoma State and BYU. The Cowboys are the defending champions, and a win this year would be their sixth, equalling them with NAU and Oregon for the fourth most in history. Despite producing four individual champions throughout the history, the Cougars have only landed atop the team podium once, in 2019.
Courtesy Villanova Athletics
Women - The Villanova Wildcats are the only women’s team in the NCAA to have won more than five team titles, claiming nine since the women’s championship was established in 1981. However, the Wildcats haven’t won since 2010 and didn’t even qualify as a team to Madison. Nuttycombe champion Sadie Sigfstead will be the lone representative of the most decorated team in history this weekend.
The top-ranked BYU Cougars currently sit tied for the second-most titles in history, winning their fifth in 2020. If they can validate that No. 1 ranking on Saturday, they’ll take home trophy number six, giving them sole possession of second place. The dominant team in recent years has been Laurie Henes’s NC State Wolfpack, winning the last three championships in a row. But it’s been a rocky season for them, and they enter Saturday ranked only 13th in the nation.
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Paul Hof-Mahoney
Paul is currently a student at the University of Florida (Go Gators) and is incredibly excited to be making his way into the track and field scene. He loves getting the opportunity to showcase the fascinating storylines that build up year-over-year across all events (but especially the throws).
