# NCAA Division I men's cross country championships

The NCAA Division I men's cross country championships (formerly the NCAA University Division cross country championships) are contested at an annual meet hosted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to determine the individual and team national champions of men's collegiate cross country running among its Division I members in the United States. It has been held every fall (typically in November) since the NCAA split into its current three-division format in 1973.
Teams and individual runners qualify for the championship at regional competitions approximately a week before the national championships.
Arkansas have been the most successful program, with eleven national titles.
BYU are the defending team national champion, winning their second title in 2024.

## 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.
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).
Wisconsin and Syracuse are the only two teams East of the Mississippi River that have won in the 21st Century

## 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.

## Results

* 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.
NCAA Men's Division I Cross Country Championship :
| Year | Host City (Host Team) | | Team Championship | Team Championship | Team Championship | Team Championship | | Individual Championship | Individual Championship |
| Year | Host City (Host Team) | | Winner | Points | Runner-up | Points | | Winner (Team) | Time |
| 1938 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Indiana | 51 | Notre Dame | 61 | | Greg Rice (Notre Dame) | 20:12.9 |
| 1939 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Michigan State | 54 | Wisconsin | 57 | | Walter Mehl (Wisconsin) | 20:30.9 |
| 1940 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Indiana | 65 | Eastern Michigan | 68 | | Gil Dodds (Ashland) | 20:30.2 |
| 1941 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Rhode Island | 83 | Penn State | 110 | | Fred Wilt (Indiana) | 20:32.1 |
| 1942 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Indiana Penn State | 57 | Rhode Island | 79 | | Oliver Hunter (Notre Dame) | 20:18.0 |
| 1943 | Not Held due to World War II | Not Held due to World War II | Not Held due to World War II | Not Held due to World War II | Not Held due to World War II | Not Held due to World War II | Not Held due to World War II | Not Held due to World War II | Not Held due to World War II |
| 1944 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Drake | 25 | Notre Dame | 64 | | Fred Feiler (Drake) | 21:04.2 |
| 1945 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Drake | 50 | Notre Dame | 65 | | Fred Feiler (Drake) | 21:14.2 |
| 1946 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Drake | 42 | NYU | 98 | | Quentin Brelsford (Ohio Wesleyan) | 20:22.9 |
| 1947 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Penn State | 60 | Syracuse | 72 | | Jack Milne (North Carolina) | 20:41.1 |
| 1948 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Michigan State | 41 | Wisconsin | 69 | | Robert Black (Rhode Island) | 19:52.3 |
| 1949 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Michigan State | 59 | Syracuse | 81 | | Robert Black (Rhode Island) | 20:25.7 |
| 1950 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Penn State | 53 | Michigan State | 55 | | Herb Semper (Kansas) | 20:31.7 |
| 1951 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Syracuse | 80 | Kansas | 118 | | Herb Semper (Kansas) | 20:09.5 |
| 1952 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Michigan State | 65 | Indiana | 68 | | Charles Capozzoli (Georgetown) | 19:36.7 |
| 1953 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Kansas | 70 | Indiana | 82 | | Wes Santee (Kansas) | 19:43.5 |
| 1954 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Oklahoma State | 61 | Syracuse | 118 | | Allen Frame (Kansas) | 19:54.2 |
| 1955 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Michigan State | 46 | Kansas | 68 | | Charles Jones (Iowa) | 19:57.4 |
| 1956 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Michigan State | 28 | Kansas | 88 | | Walter McNew (Texas) | 19:55.7 |
| 1957 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Notre Dame | 121 | Michigan State | 127 | | Max Truex (USC) | 19:12.3† |
| 1958 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Michigan State | 79 | Western Michigan | 104 | | Crawford Kennedy (Michigan State) | 20:07.1 |
| 1959 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Michigan State | 44 | Houston | 120 | | Al Lawrence (Houston) | 20:35.7 |
| 1960 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Houston | 54 | Michigan State | 80 | | Al Lawrence (Houston) | 19:28.2 |
| 1961 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Oregon State | 68 | San Jose State | 82 | | Dale Story (Oregon State) | 19:46.6 |
| 1962 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | San Jose State | 58 | Villanova | 69 | | Tom O'Hara (Loyola–Chicago) | 19:20.3 |
| 1963 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | San Jose State | 53 | Oregon | 68 | | Victor Zwolak (Villanova) | 19:35.0 |
| 1964 Details | East Lansing, MI (Michigan State) | | Western Michigan | 86 | Oregon | 116 | | Elmore Banton (Ohio) | 20:07.5 |
| The race distance changes from 4 miles to 6 miles ||||||||||
| 1965 Details | Lawrence, KS (Kansas) | | Western Michigan | 81 | Northwestern | 114 | | John Lawson (Kansas) | 29:24.0 |
| 1966 Details | Lawrence, KS (Kansas) | | Villanova | 79 | Kansas State | 155 | | Gerry Lindgren (Washington State) | 29:01.4 |
| 1967 Details | Laramie, WY (Wyoming) | | Villanova | 91 | Air Force | 96 | | Gerry Lindgren (Washington State) | 30:45.6 |
| 1968 Details | Bronx, NY (Manhattan) | | Villanova | 78 | Stanford | 100 | | Michael Ryan (Air Force) | 29:16.8 |
| 1969 Details | Bronx, NY (Manhattan) | | UTEP | 74 | Villanova | 88 | | Gerry Lindgren (Washington State) | 28:59.2 |
| 1970 Details | Williamsburg, VA (William & Mary) | | Villanova | 85 | Oregon | 86 | | Steve Prefontaine (Oregon) | 28:00.2† |
| 1971 Details | Knoxville, TN (Tennessee) | | Oregon | 83 | Washington State | 122 | | Steve Prefontaine (Oregon) | 29:14.0 |
| 1972 Details | Houston, TX (Houston) | | Tennessee | 134 | East Tennessee State | 148 | | Neil Cusack (East Tennessee State) | 28:23.0 |
| 1973 Details | Pullman, WA (Washington State) | | Oregon | 89 | UTEP | 157 | | Steve Prefontaine (Oregon) | 28:14.8 |
| 1974 Details | Bloomington, IN (Indiana) | | Oregon | 77 | Western Kentucky | 110 | | Nick Rose (Western Kentucky) | 29:22.00 |
| 1975 Details | State College, PA (Penn State) | | UTEP | 88 | Oregon | 92 | | Craig Virgin (Illinois) | 28:23.3 |
| *The race distance changes from 6 miles to 10 kilometers ||||||||||
| 1976 Details | Denton, TX (North Texas) | | UTEP | 62 | Oregon | 117 | | Henry Rono (Washington State) | 28:06.6† |
| 1977 Details | Pullman, WA (Washington State) | | Oregon | 100 | UTEP | 105 | | Henry Rono (Washington State) | 28:33.5 |
| 1978 Details | Madison, WI (Wisconsin) | | UTEP | 56 | Oregon | 72 | | Alberto Salazar (Oregon) | 29:29.7 |
| 1979 Details | Bethlehem, PA (Lehigh) | | UTEP | 86 | Oregon | 93 | | Henry Rono (Washington State) | 28:19.6 |
| 1980 Details | Wichita, KS (Wichita State) | | UTEP | 58 | Arkansas | 152 | | Suleiman Nyambui (UTEP) | 29:04.0 |
| 1981 Details | Wichita, KS (Wichita State) | | UTEP | 17 | Providence | 109 | | Matthews Motshwarateu (UTEP) | 28:45.6 |
| 1982 Details | Bloomington, IN (Indiana) | | Wisconsin | 59 | Providence | 138 | | Mark Scrutton (Colorado) | 30:12.6 |
| 1983 Details | Bethlehem, PA (Lehigh) | | (Vacated) | 108 | Wisconsin | 164 | | Zakarie Barie (UTEP) | 29:20.0 |
| 1984 Details | State College, PA (Penn State) | | Arkansas | 101 | Arizona | 111 | | Ed Eyestone (BYU) | 29:28.8 |
| 1985 Details | Milwaukee, WI (Marquette) | | Wisconsin | 67 | Arkansas | 104 | | Tim Hacker (Wisconsin) | 29:17.88 |
| 1986 Details | Tucson, AZ (Arizona) | | Arkansas | 69 | Dartmouth | 141 | | Aaron Ramirez (Arizona) | 30:27.53 |
| 1987 Details | Charlottesville, VA (Virginia) | | Arkansas | 87 | Dartmouth | 119 | | Joe Falcon (Arkansas) | 29:14.97 |
| 1988 Details | Ames, IA (Iowa State) | | Wisconsin | 105 | Northern Arizona | 160 | | Bob Kennedy (Indiana) | 29:20.00 |
| 1989 Details | Annapolis, MD (Navy) | | Iowa State | 54 | Oregon | 72 | | John Nuttall (Iowa State) | 29:30.55 |
| 1990 Details | Knoxville, TN (Tennessee) | | Arkansas | 68 | Iowa State | 96 | | Jonah Koech (Iowa State) | 29:05 |
| 1991 Details | Tucson, AZ (Arizona) | | Arkansas | 52 | Wisconsin | 148 | | Sean Dollman (Western Kentucky) | 30:17.1 |
| 1992 Details | Bloomington, IN (Indiana) | | Arkansas | 46 | Wisconsin | 87 | | Bob Kennedy (Indiana) | 30:15.3 |
| 1993 Details | Bethlehem, PA (Lehigh) | | Arkansas | 31 | BYU | 153 | | Josephat Kapkory (Washington State) | 29:32.4 |
| 1994 Details | Fayetteville, AR (Arkansas) | | Iowa State | 65 | Colorado | 88 | | Martin Keino (Arizona) | 30:08.7 |
| 1995 Details | Ames, IA (Iowa State) | | Arkansas | 100 | Northern Arizona | 142 | | Godfrey Siamusiye (Arkansas) | 30:09 |
| 1996 Details | Tucson, AZ (Arizona) | | Stanford | 46 | Arkansas | 74 | | Godfrey Siamusiye (Arkansas) | 29:49 |
| 1997 Details | Greenville, SC (Furman) | | Stanford | 53 | Arkansas | 56 | | Mebrahtom Keflezighi (UCLA) | 28:54 |
| 1998 Details | Lawrence, KS (Kansas) | | Arkansas | 97 | Stanford | 114 | | Adam Goucher (Colorado) | 29:26.9 |
| 1999 Details | Bloomington, IN (Indiana) | | Arkansas | 58 | Wisconsin | 185 | | David Kimani (South Alabama) | 30:06.6 |
| 2000 Details | Ames, IA (Iowa State) | | Arkansas | 83 | Colorado | 94 | | Keith Kelly (Providence) | 30:14.5 |
| 2001 Details | Greenville, SC (Furman) | | Colorado | 90 | Stanford | 91 | | Boaz Cheboiywo (Eastern Michigan) | 28:47 |
| 2002 Details | Terre Haute, IN (Indiana State) | | Stanford | 47 | Wisconsin | 107 | | Jorge Torres (Colorado) | 29:04.7 |
| 2003 Details | Cedar Falls, IA (Northern Iowa) | | Stanford | 24 | Wisconsin | 147 | | Dathan Ritzenhein (Colorado) | 29:14.1 |
| 2004 Details | Terre Haute, IN (Indiana State) | | Colorado | 90 | Wisconsin | 94 | | Simon Bairu (Wisconsin) | 30:37.7 |
| 2005 Details | Terre Haute, IN (Indiana State) | | Wisconsin | 37 | Arkansas | 105 | | Simon Bairu (Wisconsin) | 29:15.9 |
| 2006 Details | Terre Haute, IN (Indiana State) | | Colorado | 94 | Wisconsin | 142 | | Josh Rohatinsky (BYU) | 30:44.9 |
| 2007 Details | Terre Haute, IN (Indiana State) | | Oregon | 85 | Iona | 113 | | Josh McDougal (Liberty) | 29:22.4 |
| 2008 Details | Terre Haute, IN (Indiana State) | | Oregon | 93 | Iona | 147 | | Galen Rupp (Oregon) | 29:03.2 |
| 2009 Details | Terre Haute, IN (Indiana State) | | Oklahoma State | 127 | Oregon | 143 | | Sam Chelanga (Liberty) | 28:41.3 |
| 2010 Details | Terre Haute, IN (Indiana State) | | Oklahoma State | 73 | Florida State | 193 | | Sam Chelanga (Liberty) | 29:22.2 |
| 2011 Details | Terre Haute, IN (Indiana State) | | Wisconsin | 97 | Oklahoma State | 139 | | Lawi Lalang (Arizona) | 28:44.1 |
| 2012 Details | Louisville, KY (Louisville) | | Oklahoma State | 72 | Wisconsin | 135 | | Kennedy Kithuka (Texas Tech) | 28:31.3 |
| 2013 Details | Terre Haute, IN (Indiana State) | | Colorado | 149 | Northern Arizona | 169 | | Edward Cheserek (Oregon) | 29:41.1 |
| 2014 Details | Terre Haute, IN (Indiana State) | | Colorado | 65 | Stanford | 98 | | Edward Cheserek (Oregon) | 30:19.4 |
| 2015 Details | Louisville, KY (Louisville) | | Syracuse | 82 | Colorado | 91 | | Edward Cheserek (Oregon) | 28:45.8 |
| 2016 Details | Terre Haute, IN (Indiana State) | | Northern Arizona | 125 | Stanford | 158 | | Patrick Tiernan (Villanova) | 29:22.0 |
| 2017 Details | Louisville, KY (Louisville) | | Northern Arizona | 74 | Portland | 127 | | Justyn Knight (Syracuse) | 29:00.2 |
| 2018 Details | Madison, WI (Wisconsin) | | Northern Arizona | 83 | BYU | 116 | | Morgan McDonald (Wisconsin) | 29:08.3 |
| 2019 Details | Terre Haute, IN (Indiana State) | | BYU | 109 | Northern Arizona | 163 | | Edwin Kurgat (Iowa State) | 30:32.7 |
| 2020 Details | Stillwater, OK (Oklahoma State) | | Northern Arizona | 60 | Notre Dame | 87 | | Conner Mantz (BYU) | 29:26.1 |
| 2021 Details | Tallahassee, FL (Florida State) | | Northern Arizona | 92 | Iowa State | 137 | | Conner Mantz (BYU) | 28:33.1 |
| 2022 Details | Stillwater, OK (Oklahoma State) | | Northern Arizona | 83 | Oklahoma State | 83 | | Charles Hicks (Stanford) | 28:43.6 |
| 2023 Details | Charlottesville, VA (Virginia) | | Oklahoma State | 49 | Northern Arizona | 71 | | Graham Blanks (Harvard) | 28:37.7 |
| 2024 Details | Madison, WI (Wisconsin) | | BYU | 124 | Iowa State | 137 | | Graham Blanks (Harvard) | 28:37.2 |
| 2025 Details | Columbia, MO (Missouri) | | | | | | | | |
| 2026 Details | Terre Haute, IN (Indiana State) | | | | | | | | |
| 2027 Details | Stillwater, OK (Oklahoma State) | | | | | | | | |
* 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.

## 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
** Max Truex, USC (1957)
* 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)