LAKE CHARLES - Following its impressing first place showing at the Cowboy Stampede last Saturday, the McNeese men's cross country squad moved up five spots to No. 8 in the latest USTFCCCA South Central Region Cross Country Top 15 poll.
 
McNeese is the second-highest ranked Southland Conference team in the poll. Stephen F. Austin is ranked second behind No. 1 Arkansas. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is right behind the Cowboys at No. 9 followed by UIW at 10 and Lamar at No. 12. It's the highest ranking for McNeese since the 2023 season when the Cowboys were preseason No. 8.
 
Gregory Martin has been the leader of the Cowboys through the first three meets of the season with two second places and a first place finish. He placed second in last week's meet, running the four-mile competition in 18:54.0.
 
Coming off a team win on Saturday, the Cowgirls made their debut in the regional poll at No. 14. It's the first ranking for the squad since the 2024 preseason rankings and first in-season ranking since 2023.
 
Pacing the Cowgirls on the season has been Uxue Castro-Martin who captured her first-career individual collegiate win on Saturday with a meet and course record 5k time of 16:35.0. She also posted a fourth place finish at LSU and second place in the McNeese Season Opener.
 
Both squads will return to action on October 16 at the Texas A&M Arturo Barrios Invitational in the final tune-up before the Oct. 30 Southland Conference Championships which McNeese will host.
 
NCAA D1 South Central Region Top 15
Men's Poll
1. Arkansas
2. Stephen F. Austin
3. Tulane
4. TCU
5. Texas
6. Houston
7. Texas A&M
8. McNeese
9. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
10. UIW
11. Rice
12. Lamar
13. UT Arlington
14. Arkansas State
15. Central Arkansas
 
Women's Poll
1. Arkansas
2. SMU
3. Tulane
4. Texas A&M
5. LSU
6. Stephen F. Austin
7. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
8. TCU
9. Houston
10. Texas
11. UT Arlington
12. ULL
13. UIW
14. McNeese
15. Baylor