2020 NJCAA DII Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 1
History will be made in 2020.
That’s because, for the first time in the past 17 years, a women’s team champion will be crowned at the NJCAA Division II level in cross country.
NJCAA Division II — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Cowley (Kan.)
Cowley (Kan.)
2
Hawkeye (Iowa) CC
Hawkeye (Iowa) CC
3
Grand Rapids (Mich.) CC
Grand Rapids (Mich.) CC
4
St. Clair County (Mich.) CC
St. Clair County (Mich.) CC
5
Pasco-Hernando (Fla.)
Pasco-Hernando (Fla.)
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
If the National Coaches’ Poll in Week 1 has any indication of what’s to come this season, look for Cowley (Kan.) CC on top of the podium in mid-November at the NJCAA Championships. The Tigers are the unanimous favorite to win the team title as they earned all five first-place votes.
Cowley CC opened its season with a victory this past weekend at the Terry Masterson Twilight Classic. Lubna Suied led the way for the Tigers as she won the individual title by nearly 21 seconds over the next closest competitor. Suied was just one of two athletes from Cowley CC in the top-10, but two others finished close behind in 11th place and 12th place.
Voting coaches expect Hawkeye (Iowa) CC to challenge the Tigers for the national title in a few months. The RedTails open the season ranked No. 2 and recently finished runner-up to three-time defending NJCAA DI champion Iowa Central CC at the Grand View Open. Ryann Portch and Kaylee Leicht paced Hawkeye CC this past weekend, finishing fifth and eighth, respectively, in their debuts.
Grand Rapids (Mich.) CC sits third to begin the season. The Raiders opened the 2020 campaign with a victory this past weekend at the Skipper Invitational. GRCC saw Kiah Becker earn the individual title and three other athletes finish in the top-10.
St. Clair (Mich.) CC, the No. 4 team in Week 1, hosted the Skipper Invitational this past weekend and finished runner-up. The Skippers put three athletes in the top-10, led by freshman Rachel Dussett in second place.
Pasco-Hernando (Fla.) State College rounds out the top-5. The Bobcats showed promise in the opening meet of the season, romping to victory at the Florida Horse Park Invitational. PHSC put its entire scoring lineup in the top-10, led by a 1-2 finish by Jensen Mayer and Sydney Stoltzfoos.
Here are the rest of the top-10 teams: No. 6 North Iowa Area CC, No. 7 Dayton State (Fla.) College, No. 8 Jackson (Mich.) CC, No. 9 Muskegon (Mich.) CC, No. 10 South Florida State College.
