NJCAA DIII National Coaches’ Rankings Make 2016 Debut
NEW ORLEANS – If the first NJCAA DIII Cross Country National Coaches’ Rankings hold true through the National Championships in Canadaigua, New York, on November 12, it’ll be a good fall in Palatine, Illinois.
That’s the locale of Harper College, the school that sits atop both the men’s and women’s rankings announced Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Harper’s men are the defending NJCAA DIII national champions, while the Hawks women return as the national runners-up from a year ago.
No. 2 Howard CC (Md.) and No. 3 Joliet JC checked in just behind the Hawks men, despite not posting team scores at nationals last season. Rounding out the men’s top-five were Cumberland County and Bergen CC – last year’s 13th- and 10th-place finishers, respectively.
Reigning runner-up Mohawk Valley CC came in at No. 6.
Like their male teammates, the Harper women were followed up by two squads that did not score at the NJCAA Championships a year ago in No. 2 Columbus State CC and No. 3 Mercer County CC.
No. 4 Joliet JC finished fifth a year ago, while No. 5 Orange County CC did not score.
Reigning national champion Suffolk County CC registered at No. 10.
See the full rankings below.
USTFCCCA NJCAA Division III |
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Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Rankings |
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2016 Week #1 — September 14 |
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| next release: September 21 | ||||||
| Rank | Institution | Location | Region | Head Coach (Yr) |
2015 FINAL
|
|
| 1 | Harper | Palatine, Ill. | Central | Jim Macnider (6th) |
1
|
|
| 2 | Howard CC (Md.) | Columbia, Md. | East | Steve Musselman (32nd) |
NR
|
|
| 3 | Joliet JC | Joliet, Ill. | Central | Rich McCarthy (11th) |
NR
|
|
| 4 | Cumberland County | Cumberland County, N.J. | East | David Sheridan |
13
|
|
| 5 | Bergen CC | Paramus, N.J. | East | Deana Dedovitch |
10
|
|
| 6 | Mohawk Valley CC | Utica, N.Y. | Northeast | Gary Parker (28th) |
2
|
|
| 7 | Lorain County CC | Elyria, Ohio | Central | Jim Powers (8th) |
9
|
|
| 8 | Columbus State CC | Columbus, Ohio | Central | Dustin Iacovone (2nd) |
8
|
|
| 9 | Rowan-Gloucester CC | Sewell, N.J. | East | Ryan Hughes (14th) |
6
|
|
| 10 | Finger Lakes CC | Canandaigua, N.Y. | Northeast | Scott Williams (3rd) |
18
|
|
USTFCCCA NJCAA Division III |
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Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Rankings |
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2016 Week #1 — September 14 |
||||||
| next release: September 21 | ||||||
| Rank | Institution | Location | Region | Head Coach (Yr) |
2015 FINAL
|
|
| 1 | Harper | Palatine, Ill. | Central | Jim Macnider (6th) |
2
|
|
| 2 | Columbus State CC | Columbus, Ohio | Central | Dustin Iacovone (2nd) |
NR
|
|
| 3 | Mercer County CC | Trenton, N.J. | Atlantic | Mike DeAngelis (3rd) |
NR
|
|
| 4 | Joliet JC | Joliet, Ill. | Central | Rich McCarthy (11th) |
5
|
|
| 5 | Orange County CC | Middletown, N.Y. | Northeast | Todd Derkacz |
NR
|
|
| 6 | Westmoreland County CC | Youngwood, Pa. | Central | Patrick Comer (5th) |
NR
|
|
| 7 | Onondaga CC | Syracuse, N.Y. | Northeast | Robin Wheeless (7th) |
NR
|
|
| 8 | Anne Arundel CC | Arnold, Md. | East | Jim Griffiths (9th) |
4
|
|
| 9 | Herkimer County CC | Herkimer, N.Y. | Northeast | Stephen Sydoriw (5th) |
14
|
|
| 10 | Suffolk County CC | Selden, N.Y. | Northeast | Matthew French (3rd) |
1
|
|
