LEXINGTON, Va. — The Washington and Lee University men's cross country team climbed eight spots to No. 12 in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III National Coaches' Poll, matching the highest national ranking in program history.

The Generals received 189 points in the Week 4 poll after entering last weekend ranked No. 20. The eight-position jump followed an eighth-place performance in a loaded 35-team field at the Running of the Cows Pre-Nationals, hosted by Carleton College in Northfield, Minn.

W&L previously reached No. 12 during the 2024 season following a strong performance at the Inter-Regional Border Battle hosted by Rowan University. The Generals' return to that position marks the second time in program history they have been ranked as high as No. 12 nationally.

The Generals are also receiving national recognition from additional Division III cross country outlets. W&L is ranked No. 14 nationally by D3 Glory Days and sits No. 9 in the XCRI Team-5 rankings.

Washington and Lee's rise in the national rankings comes after the Generals scored 217 points at Pre-Nationals and finished ahead of five teams that entered the meet ranked higher in the USTFCCCA poll: then-No. 6 Pomona-Pitzer, No. 10 Tufts, No. 12 Williams, No. 17 Hope and No. 19 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

Junior Sam Daunt led the Generals with a 10th-place finish in the 8K race, clocking a season-best 24:43.0. Junior Matt Kelly followed in 19th at 24:59.3, while senior Robert Cooper placed 25th in 25:03.9. The trio helped W&L put three runners among the top 25.

The Generals' scoring five averaged 25:14 with a 59-second spread as W&L finished just six points ahead of Pomona-Pitzer and nine points behind MIT.

The performance resulted in an eight-spot climb from No. 20 to No. 12 with 189 points. W&L also remains the highest-ranked team from the South Region and is one of two Old Dominion Athletic Conference programs in the national top 30, joining No. 26 Lynchburg.

Wartburg, which won the Pre-Nationals race with 110 points, moved up four spots to No. 1 with nine first-place votes and 299 points. SUNY Geneseo ranks second, followed by Johns Hopkins, Wisconsin-La Crosse and NYU.

The No. 12 Generals return to competition Saturday, Oct. 17, at Roanoke's South Region Showdown, hosted by Roanoke College at Green Hill Park in Salem, Va. Racing is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.