2019 NJCAA DI Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 1
NEW ORLEANS – Cloud County CC and Iowa Central CC kick off the 2019 season as Week 1 leaders in the NJCAA Division I Cross Country National Coaches’ Polls.
There should be a lot of shifting in the ranks in the next few months as teams prepare for the 2019 NJCAA Division I Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 9, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
NJCAA Division I — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Cloud County (Kan.) CC
Cloud County (Kan.) CC
2
Central Arizona
Central Arizona
3
Iowa Central CC
Iowa Central CC
4
El Paso (Texas) CC
El Paso (Texas) CC
5
Iowa Western CC
Iowa Western CC
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Cloud County CC started the year sky high with wins at the Terry Masterson Twilight Classic on August 30 followed by the Augustana Twilight Meet on September 6. The T-Birds earned six of the 10 first-place votes and tallied 191 points to edge Central Arizona College (187) and Iowa Central CC (184), which both received two first-place votes.
Leading the way for the T-Birds in 2019 is freshman Dais Malebana from Pretoria, South Africa, who has already been named National Athlete of the Week twice. He was also runner-up in last year’s South African U20 cross country championships.
Defending champion Central Arizona College and Iowa Central CC have traded the national trophy back and forth since 2012. Last year 18 points separated them at the national meet, but just 3 points currently separate them in the Week 1 poll. CAC’s top returning runner is Aaron Orar. He was 25th in last year’s nationals, just behind Iowa Central’s top returner, Milos Pendic in 24th.
El Paso CC is ranked No. 4 in the first poll. They were third at last year’s national meet and return all of its top 5. El Paso CC ran strong this past weekend at the Lori Fitzgerald Memorial, where it finished runner-up to host NCAA Division I UTEP.
Iowa Western CC rounds out the top 5.
NJCAA Division I — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Iowa Central CC
Iowa Central CC
2
El Paso (Texas) CC
El Paso (Texas) CC
3
South Plains (Texas)
South Plains (Texas)
4
New Mexico JC
New Mexico JC
5
Cowley (Kan.)
Cowley (Kan.)
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Two-time defending national champion Iowa Central CC is a unanimous No. 1, collecting all 10 first-place votes in the Week 1 poll. The Tritons, who return three of its scoring 5 from last year, are led by Lilian Busienei, who was third at last year’s national meet.
Iowa Central CC is looking to three-peat for the second time in program history. The Tritons also won three in a row from 2011 to 2013.
2018 national runner-up El Paso CC in the No. 2 position to begin the season. The Tejanas also return three of its top 5, led by defending individual champion Everlyn Kemboi, who started the season with a runner-up finish at the Lori Fitzgerald Memorial.
No. 3 South Plains College returns four of its top-5 and are led by Gladys Jemaiyo, runner-up at last year’s national meet. Just 4 points behind in the poll is New Mexico JC, with Cowley County CC rounding out the top-5.
