NCAA Men's Division I Cross Country Championship
Each autumn since 1938, with the exception of 1943, 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. Teams and individual runners qualify for the championship at regional competitions approximately a week before the national championships, typically held in November.
BYU are the defending men's team champions.
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.History
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. From 1965 to 1975 the race distance was. Since 1976 the race distance has been.
Champions
- ''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.
- 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.
Titles
Team titles
- ''List updated through the 2019 Championships
| Team | Titles | Year Won |
| Arkansas | 11 | 1984, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000 |
| Michigan State | 8 | 1939, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959 |
| UTEP | 7 | 1969, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 |
| Oregon | 6 | 1971, 1973, 1974, 1977, 2007, 2008 |
| Colorado | 5 | 2001, 2004, 2006, 2013, 2014 |
| Wisconsin | 5 | 1982, 1985, 1988, 2005, 2011 |
| Oklahoma State | 4 | 1954, 2009, 2010, 2012 |
| Stanford | 4 | 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003 |
| Villanova | 4 | 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970 |
| Drake | 3 | 1944, 1945, 1946 |
| Indiana | 3 | 1938, 1940, 1942 |
| Penn State | 3 | 1942, 1947, 1950 |
| Northern Arizona | 3 | 2016, 2017, 2018 |
| Iowa State | 2 | 1989, 1994 |
| San Jose State | 2 | 1962, 1963 |
| Syracuse | 2 | 1951, 2015 |
| Western Michigan | 2 | 1964, 1965 |
| BYU | 1 | 2019 |
| Oregon State | 1 | 1961 |
| Houston | 1 | 1960 |
| Notre Dame | 1 | 1957 |
| Kansas | 1 | 1953 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | 1941 |
Individual titles
- List updated through the 2019 Championships.
| Rank | Team | Titles |
| Oregon | 8 | |
| Washington State | 7 | |
| Kansas Wisconsin | 5 | |
| Colorado | 4 | |
| Arizona Arkansas Indiana Iowa State Liberty UTEP | 3 | |
| BYU Drake Houston Notre Dame Rhode Island Villanova Western Kentucky | 2 |
Appearances
- List updated through the 2019 Championships.
Most team appearances (top 15)
Records
- Best Team Score: 17
- *UTEP
- Most Individual Titles: 3
- *Gerry Lindgren, Washington State
- *Steve Prefontaine, Oregon
- * Henry Rono, Washington State
- * Edward Cheserek, Oregon
- Best Individual Time, 4 miles: 19:21.3
- *Max Truex, USC
- Best Individual Time, 6 miles: 28:00.2
- *Steve Prefontaine, Oregon
- Best Individual Time, 10,000 meters: 28:06.6
- *Henry Rono, Washington State