Northville’s girls cross country team jumped one spot to No. 2 in the Lower Peninsula Division 1 coaches poll released Monday, Oct. 12, trailing only Ann Arbor Pioneer.

The Mustangs boys made an even bigger move, climbing from No. 13 to No. 5 in one week, according to MichiganCrossCountry.com’s poll archive.

The weekly rankings are compiled by a panel of coaches and rank teams by their projected finish at the MHSAA state finals, according to the Oakland Press.

The girls’ rise followed Northville’s team title at the Wayne County Championships on Saturday, Oct. 10, according to the MHSAA.

Freshman Julia Riemer led the Mustangs with a seventh-place individual finish in 20:20.6, according to Athletic.net results.

Juniors Naya Abu Yasin finished 14th in 21:00.4 and Ella Rohrhoff placed 18th in 21:15.6. Senior Lauren Watkins finished 19th in 21:18.6, and junior Priya Sastry placed 21st in 21:25.4 to complete Northville’s five scorers.

The Northville girls opened the season ranked No. 2 on Sept. 15, slipped to No. 3 on Sept. 28 and held there through Oct. 5 before reclaiming the No. 2 spot.

The boys started at No. 8 in September, dropped to No. 10 on Sept. 28, fell to No. 13 by Oct. 5 and then climbed to No. 5.

Northville’s boys won four consecutive LP Division 1 state titles from 2022 through 2025, according to the MHSAA’s championship report. Senior Brandon Cloud, the 2025 individual runner-up, returns for the Mustangs.

Brighton leads the boys poll. Ann Arbor Skyline is fourth, and Salem sits seventh.

Novi’s girls received honorable mention after ranking No. 14 a week earlier. The Wildcats ranked No. 11 on Sept. 28 but have slid in each of the last two weeks, according to the poll archive.

Detroit Catholic Central, which earned honorable mention in the boys poll on Oct. 5, was not listed among the top 15 or honorable mentions on Oct. 12.

Both Northville programs compete in Region 7. The MHSAA LP Division 1 state finals are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 7, at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, according to the association’s tournament calendar.