The North Dakota State women's cross country team climbed three spots to No. 9 in the Midwest region in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) regional team rankings released Monday.

The No. 9 ranking is NDSU's highest of the season. The Bison spent two weeks at No. 10 to open the year and have spent the past three weeks at No. 12.

North Dakota State is the lone Summit League team to appear in latest women's cross country poll.

NDSU claimed five of the top nine finishers at the UND Ron Pynn Invitational on Oct. 13, and just 52 seconds separated the first and fifth Bison runners on their way to the team title. Of the nine NDSU runners who had previously run a 5k this season, eight recorded season-best performances on Saturday.

The Bison will compete in The Summit League Championships on Oct. 27 in Rochester, Mich.

Midwest Region

Rank   School                         Conference

1          Iowa State                    Big 12

2          Oklahoma State           Big 12

3          Minnesota                    Big Ten

4          Northwestern               Big Ten

5          Illinois                         Big Ten

6          Tulsa                            Conf. USA

7          Iowa                            Big Ten

8          Wichita State                Missouri Valley

9          North Dakota State      Summit League

10        Illinois State                 Missouri Valley

11        Missouri                       SEC

12        Kansas State                Big 12

13        Loyola-Chicago           Horizon

14        Saint Louis                   A-10

15        Southern Illinois          Missouri Valley