Which NCAA Div. I Region was the Strongest?

There is always a fierce debate among which NCAA Division Region is the strongest and which is the weakest. As a former South Region runner, I remember the South getting blasted year after year as a "weak" region. Ditto for the South Central when I coached at Pan-Am. So, I decided to run a statistical analysis, based on the 2004 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship, as to which Region, is, in fact, the strongest and weakest in terms of teams and individuals.

Below is my breakdown. I have taken the Top 2 teams from each Region based on their National finish (tiebreaker is 3rd best team from Region). The number in parenthesis after the region is the number of teams from that region that competed. A couple of observations: Think altitude has no effect on distance running? The Mountain proved best in both the Men's & Women's races, with the great Great Lakes Region a close 2nd in both. The Southern schools still proved weakest in both races, with the SE Region taking the horses @ss in the Men's and the South girls claiming the honor of worst region. I look forward to 2005 and which regions will justify their selections...

Men's Regional Team Breakdown
1. Mountain Region (6) = 6 points
Colorado- 1st
BYU- 5th
(New Mexico- 9th)

2. Great Lakes Region (8) = 6 points
Wisconsin- 2nd
Butler- 4th
(Notre Dame- 11th)

3. West Region (3) = 14 points
Stanford- 6th
BYU- 8th

4. South Central (2) = 15 points
Arkansas- 3rd
Texas- 12th

5. NorthEast Region (2) = 28 points
Iona- 7th
Providence- 21st

6. MidWest Region (3) = 31 points
Iowa- 13th
Minnesota- 18th

7. Mid Atlantic Region (2) = 35 points
Georgetown- 15th
American- 20th

8. South Region (3) = 42 points
Florida State- 17th
Georgia- 25th

9. SouthEast Region (2) = 47 points
NC State- 16th
William & Mary- 31st

Women's Regional Team Breakdown
1. Mountain Region (3) = 9 points
Colorado- 1st
BYU- 8th

2. Great Lakes Region (6) = 10 points
Notre Dame- 4th
Michigan- 6th

3. SouthEast Region (4) = 12 points
Duke- 2nd
North Carolina- 10th

4. West Region (6) = 14 points
Stanford- 5th
Arizona State- 9th

5. NorthEast Region (2) = 16 points
Providence- 3rd
Columbia- 13th

6. Mid Atlantic Region (3) = 22 points
Villanova- 7th
West Virginia- 15th

7. MidWest Region (2) = 31 points
Missouri- 11th
Illinois- 20th

8. South Central Region (3) = 38 points
Arkansas- 16th
SMU- 22nd

9. South Region (2) = 45 points
Tennessee- 21st
Georgia- 24th