NCAA Division I men's cross country championships
The NCAA Division I Men's Cross Country Championship is the cross country championship held by the National Collegiate Athletic Association each autumn for individual men's runners and cross country teams from universities in Division I. Teams and individual runners qualify for the championship at regional competitions approximately a week before the national championships.
Current season, competition or edition: 2024 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships | |
 | |
| Sport | College cross country running |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1938 |
| No. of teams | 31 (253 individuals) |
| Most recent champion(s) | Oklahoma State (5) |
| Most titles | Arkansas (11) |
Oklahoma State is the defending men's team champions.
History
Each autumn since 1938, with the exception of 1943 and 2020, the National Collegiate Athletic Association has hosted men's cross country championships. Since 1958, the NCAA has had multiple division championships. Since 1973, Divisions I, II and III have all had their own national championships.
Qualifying
Teams compete in one of nine regional championships to qualify, where the top two teams automatically advance and thirteen additional teams are chosen as at-large selections. In addition to the 31 teams, 38 individual runners qualify for the national championship.[1][2]
History
The field for the Division I national championship race has ranged in size from a low of 6 teams in 1938 to a high of 39 teams in 1970. From 1982 to 1997 the field was fixed at 22 teams. Beginning in 1998, the national championship race has included 31 teams.
The race distance from 1938 to 1964 was 4 miles (6.4 km). From 1965 to 1975 the race distance was 6 miles (9.7 km). Since 1976 the race distance has been 10,000 meters (6.2 mi).[3]
Champions
- Prior to 1958, only a single national championship was held between all members of the NCAA; Division II started in 1958 and Division III in 1973.[4]
- A time highlighted in ██ indicates an NCAA championship record time for that distance at the time.
- A † indicates the all-time NCAA championship record for that distance.
- UTEP's 1983 championship was vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions.
Titles
Individual titles
- List updated through the 2022 Championships.
| Team | # |
|---|---|
| Oregon | 8 |
| Washington State | 7 |
| Kansas | 5 |
| Wisconsin | |
| Colorado | 4 |
| BYU | |
| Arizona | 3 |
| Arkansas | |
| Indiana | |
| Iowa State | |
| Liberty | |
| UTEP | |
| Drake | 2 |
| Houston | |
| Notre Dame | |
| Rhode Island | |
| Villanova | |
| Western Kentucky |
Appearances
- List updated through the 2019 Championships.
Most team appearances (top 15)
| Rank | Team | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wisconsin | 57 |
| 2 | Notre Dame | 51 |
| 3 | Arkansas Colorado | 49 |
| 4 | Michigan State | 45 |
| 5 | Oregon | 44 |
| 6 | Providence | 42 |
| 7 | Penn State | 41 |
| 8 | Indiana | 39 |
| 9 | Georgetown Texas | 37 |
| 10 | BYU | 36 |
| 11 | Michigan Villanova | 34 |
| 12 | Oklahoma State Tennessee | 32 |
| 13 | NC State | 31 |
| 14 | Kansas Northern Arizona | 29 |
| 15 | Iowa State Miami (OH) Stanford | 28 |
Records
- Best Team Score: 17
- UTEP (1981; Matthews Motshwarateu–1, Michael Musyoki–2, Gabriel Kaman–3, Suleiman Nyambui–5, Gidamis Shahanga–6)
- Most Individual Titles: 3 (tie)
- Gerry Lindgren, Washington State (1966, 1967, and 1969)
- Steve Prefontaine, Oregon (1970, 1971, and 1973)
Henry Rono, Washington State (1976, 1977, and 1979)- Edward Cheserek, Oregon (2013, 2014, and 2015)
- Best Individual Time, 4 miles: 19:21.3
- Best Individual Time, 6 miles: 28:00.2
- Steve Prefontaine, Oregon (1970)
- Best Individual Time, 10,000 meters: 28:06.6
- Henry Rono, Washington State (1976)
See also
- NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships
- NCAA Men's Division II Cross Country Championship (from 1958)
- NCAA Men's Division III Cross Country Championship (from 1973)
- NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship (from 1981)
- NCAA Women's Division II Cross Country Championship (from 1981)
- NCAA Women's Division III Cross Country Championship (from 1981)
- Pre-NCAA Cross Country Champions
- NAIA Cross Country Championships (Men, Women)