2021 NJCAA DII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 4
NEW ORLEANS – Two first-place vote getters are battling for top honors in the Week 4 NJCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Cowley (Kan.) was a unanimous No. 1 in the last poll, but Mesa (Ariz.) gave pollsters notice with recent activity.
The 2021 NJCAA Division II Cross Country Championships are set for Saturday, November 13 at Pole Green Park near Richmond, Virginia.
NJCAA Division II — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Cowley (Kan.)
Cowley (Kan.)
2
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
3
Daytona State (Fla.)
Daytona State (Fla.)
4
Heartland (Ill.) CC
Heartland (Ill.) CC
5
Lansing (Mich.) CC
Lansing (Mich.) CC
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Cowley (Kan.) is No. 1 for the third poll in a row, but this the first this the Tigers are not a unanimous No. 1 pick among the pollsters. No matter for the Tigers, who just keep rolling. Most recently Cowley was a respectable fourth in the Fort Hays State Tiger Open’s Black Race, behind only three top-5 ranked JUCO squads in Division 1.
Mesa (Ariz.) CC matched their highest-ever ranking at No. 2, but this time gained three No. 1 votes – three more than the Thunderbird men have ever achieved. The Arizona CC champions tussled impressively with four-year programs recently at UC Riverside Highlander Invitational.
Daytona State (Fla.) CC moves to No. 3, its highest since being No. 2 in the Week 1 poll. After being the top JUCO team in the NCAA Division II Pre-National Invitational, the Falcons repeated the honors in Florida State’s Division I Pre-Nationals.
Heartland (Ill.) CC is No. 4, just a point out of matching last week’s No. 3. The Hawks were second in the Greenville Classic with four top-8 individuals led by Brair Nevills.
Remaining No. 5 is Lansing (Mich.) CC. The Stars were second in their own Lansing Invitational by eight points to previous No. 4 Grand Rapids (Mich.) CC.
Completing the top-10 are No. 6 Carl Sandburg (Ill.), No. 7 Grand Rapids (Mich.) CC, No. 8 North Iowa Area CC , No. 9 Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC and No. 10 St. Clair County (Mich.) CC. North Iowa Area, the defending NJCAA Division II champions, has one of the top individuals in Melvin Kipkemboi.
