2021 NJCAA DII Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 4
NEW ORLEANS – What looked liked a potential runway has become quite the team battle, as shown by 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 remains at No. 1 but the former unanimous No.1 now has two contenders now have first-place votes in No. 2 Lansing (Mich.) CC and No. 5 Mesa (Ariz.) CC .
It’s all part of a rankings shake-up just three weeks ahead of the 2021 NJCAA Division II Cross Country Championships set for Saturday, November 13 at Pole Green Park near Richmond, Virginia.
NJCAA Division II — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Heartland (Ill.) CC
Heartland (Ill.) CC
2
Lansing (Mich.) CC
Lansing (Mich.) CC
3
Cowley (Kan.)
Cowley (Kan.)
4
Wallace State-Hanceville (Ala.) CC
Wallace State-Hanceville (Ala.) CC
5
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
No. 1 still belongs to Heartland (Ill.) CC , which found a new No. 1 runner in Taylor Joop, who won the Greenville Classic over a field that that included teammate and previous National Athlete of the Week Olivia Bloyd.
Lansing (Mich.) CC remained at No. 2 and gained two first-place votes. The Stars were the leading JUCO team with a second-place finish in the Lansing Invitational as freshman Haley Ellis won the individual title for her second outright victory this fall.
Remaining at No. 3 is defending national champion Cowley (Kan.). The Tigers were the highest-finishing JUCO Division II team in the Chile Pepper Festival and are led by Karissa Glover, who was 11th in last year’s NJCAA Division II Championships, was the top individual for any JUCO team.
No. 4 is Wallace State (Ala.) CC. The Lions packed two nice performances at the UAB Charger Invitational and Berry Invitational, finishing as the top NJCAA Division II team both times.
Mesa (Ariz.) CC moves into the top-5 at No. 5, the Thunderbirds’ highest since 2016.
Making big noise at No. 6 is Allen (Kan.) CC, a huge improvement after receiving no votes in any poll previously this year. Completing the top-10: No. 7 Grand Rapids (Mich.) CC, No. 8 Hawkeye (Iowa) CC, No. 9 Daytona State (Fla.) and No. 10 Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC.
