2021 NJCAA DII Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 2
NEW ORLEANS – Every ranked team found a new position in the latest NJCAA Division II Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Heartland (Ill.) CC now leads the rankings, earning all 12 first-place votes in moving up from No. 3 as six programs were ranked for the first time.
The 2021 NJCAA Division II Cross Country Championships are set for Saturday, November 13 at Pole Green Park in Richmond, Virginia.
NJCAA Division II — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Heartland (Ill.) CC
Heartland (Ill.) CC
2
Cowley (Kan.)
Cowley (Kan.)
3
Wallace State-Hanceville (Ala.) CC
Wallace State-Hanceville (Ala.) CC
4
Lansing (Mich.) CC
Lansing (Mich.) CC
5
Grand Rapids (Mich.) CC
Grand Rapids (Mich.) CC
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Heartland (Ill.) CC earned the team’s first-ever No. 1 ranking after spending all of last year ranked No. 2. The Hawks were the leading JUCO team in the Bradley Invitational on September 17 with a fourth-place finish. Olivia Bloyd, who was 12th in last year’s NJCAA Division II Championships, is the team’s leading runner and earned National Athlete of the Week honors to kick off the season.
Defending national champion Cowley (Kan.) also moved up from No. 5 to No. 2. The Tigers finished an impressive fourth in the Missouri Southern Stampede on September 18 as the top JUCO program. Karissa Glover led the squad with a fifth-place finish, earning National Athlete of the Week honors. Glover was 11th in last year’s NJCAA Division II championships.
Wallace State (Ala.) CC is No. 3, down one spot from last week’s No. 2, a program high. The Lions finished as the leading JUCO squad in the North Alabama Showcase on September 18, with Macie Ellis earning team-high honors for the second meet in a row.
Entering the rankings for the first time this year is Lansing (Mich.) CC at No. 4. Freshman Haley Ellis was the team’s top runner at both the John McNichols Invitational on September 18 and the season-opening Olivet Comet Open, which she won. The Stars were the highest-finishing JUCO program in both meets.
Grand Rapids (Mich.) CC moves down one position to No. 5. Freshman Kaylee Scott was the team’s top runner in the Raiders’ lone competition thus far, a ninth-place finish as the top JUCO team in the Calvin Knight Invitational on September 4. The Raiders also return Audrey Meyering, who was 8th in last year’s NJCAA Division II Championships.
Rounding out the top-10: No. 6 Hawkeye (Iowa) CC, No. 7 UA Rich Mountain (Ark.), No. 8 Mesa (Ariz.) CC, No. 9 Daytona State (Fla.) and No. 10 Pasco-Hernando (Fla.).
