After a relatively quiet start to September, the stars finally came out last weekend as teams lined up at the Gans Creek Classic and the Cowboy Jamboree.

• 2025 College XC Rankings Presented By HOKA: Division I
• 2025 College XC Rankings Presented By HOKA: Division II
• 2025 College XC Rankings Presented By HOKA: Division III

On the heels of his biggest win as a Washington State Cougar, Solomon Kipchoge was the top mover this week, climbing into the No. 5 spot after a commanding victory in Columbia.

Kipchoge outlasted Iowa State’s Joash Ruto and Tulane’s Bernard Cheruiyot, with the trio crossing in 22:24.7, 22:32.0, and 22:32.4, respectively. Ruto and Cheruiyot’s podium finishes vaulted them into the top 10 as Ruto jumped seven places to No. 6, while Cheruiyot leapt nearly 40 spots to land at No. 7.

Four more men also moved up, including Alabama’s Dismus Lokira (No. 11 → No. 10), Iowa State’s Sanele Masondo (No. 37 → No. 14), Colorado’s Dominic Serem (Unranked → No. 15), and New Mexico’s Collins Kiprotich (No. 18 → No. 16).

The weekend didn’t just shuffle the individual ranks — it shook up the team standings as well, as just one top-10 squad held its previous position.

At the top, Iowa State left no doubt, storming to a 60-point win at the Gans Creek Classic to stay No. 1. But the Cyclones aren’t without challengers, as No. 2 New Mexico and No. 3 Oklahoma State squared off in Stillwater without star Habtom Samuel. OSU earned a narrow 36–41 victory, but New Mexico’s five-point deficit without its front-runner was enough to keep them ahead in this week’s poll.

Virginia rode a runner-up finish at Gans Creek to rise four spots to No. 4, while defending champion BYU slipped back to No. 5 after finishing fifth.

On the women’s side, the movement was far lighter, with only one new addition to the top 10. NC State’s Hannah Gapes entered at No. 10 after dominating the adidas XC Challenge in 16:01 (5k), 16 seconds clear of the field. Just behind her, Penn State’s Florence Caron climbed to No. 11 after opening her season with a sub-20:00 performance at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational.

Washington State’s Rosemary Longisa and Tennessee’s Mary Ogwoka also broke through after their thrilling finish at Gans Creek, where Longisa edged Ogwoka 19:07.0 to 19:07.7. They now sit at No. 13 and No. 19, respectively.

In the women’s team rankings, the top remained steady with defending champion BYU staying put at No. 1, while NC State and Oregon swapped places, with the Wolfpack coming in at No. 2 and the Ducks falling to No. 3. The headline move came from the Florida Gators, who surged to No. 4 after convincingly beating No. 9 Northern Arizona and No. 15 Colorado, 102–126–166. Colorado, meanwhile, used its third-place finish to jump from unranked into the top 15.

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