2017 NJCAA DI Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 2

NEW ORLEANS – We just entered the second month of the NJCAA Division I Cross Country season and there has been a lot of movement in the Men’s and Women’s National Coaches’ Polls.

Only three men’s teams and three women’s teams remained in place from Week 1 in the most recent polls that were released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

QUICK LINKS: Men’s Poll | Women’s Poll
NATIONAL COACHES’ POLL – SUMMARY PDF
NATIONAL COACHES’ POLL – 2017 Week By Week
NATIONAL COACHES’ POLL – All-Time Week By Week

For those who are new or need a refresher, the NJCAA Division I Cross Country National Coaches’ Polls are voted on by 10 coaches from around the nation. Points are assigned to each spot in the poll and the team with the most points is No. 1, followed by the second most and so on and so forth.

The 2017 NJCAA Division I Cross Country Championships will be held Saturday, November 11 in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Men’s Story

Iowa Central is still No. 1 and received four out of the nine first-place votes. The Tritons have been led by Karim Achengli, who has been named National Athlete of the Week several times.

Central Arizona comes in at No. 2 once again and owns three-first place votes.

The remainder of the first-place votes (two) went to South Plains (Texas), which jumped one spot from No. 4 to No. 3. The Texans won two meets since the last poll with a victory at the New Mexico Junior College Invitational being their most recent conquest.

Paradise Valley (Ariz.) went from not ranked in Week 1 to fourth in Week 2. The Pumas last competed at the ACCAC Championships and finished runner-up to Central Arizona.

Allen (Kan.) fell two spots from last week to round out the top-5.

There were five new teams in the poll in addition to PVCC: No. 14 Western Texas, No. 16 Glendale (Ariz.), No. 20 Southern Idaho, No. 21 Pima (Ariz.) and t-No. 24 Indian Hills (Iowa).

Women’s Story

Iowa Central added a first-place vote to its tally from Week 1 as it has nine in Week 2. The Tritons have looked strong all season, most recently at the Cowboy Jamboree in Oklahoma.

El Paso CC and Allen (Kan.) both jumped one spot in the poll from No. 3 to No. 2 and No. 4 to No. 3, respectively. The former has the lone remaining first-place vote and recently placed third at the Master’s University Cross Country Invitational. The latter last competed at the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas and finished 11th in the non-NCAA DI race.

Cowley County (Kan.) tumbled two spots from No. 2 to No. 4, while Central Arizona held steady at No. 5 from Week 1.

If you want to talk about making an impact, look no further than No. 7 Southern Idaho. It’s the first year the Golden Eagles have fielded a program, yet they’ve been standing out on among JUCO programs, especially with their runner-up finish at the St. Martins Invitational two weeks ago in a meet that featured several NCAA DIII and NAIA programs.