2021 NJCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Ranking – Week 2
NEW ORLEANS – There was plenty of shakeup in the Week 2 NJCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
New No. 1 Mineral Area (Mo.) made the most noise, as all but two teams found themselves in different positions than the first poll.
The 2021 NJCAA Division III Cross Country Championships are set for Saturday, November 13, at Council Farms in Milledgeville, Georgia.
NJCAA Division III — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Mineral Area (Mo.)
Mineral Area (Mo.)
2
DuPage (Ill.)
DuPage (Ill.)
3
Joliet (Ill.) JC
Joliet (Ill.) JC
4
Bergen (N.J.) CC
Bergen (N.J.) CC
5
Brookdale (N.J.) CC
Brookdale (N.J.) CC
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Mineral Area (Mo.) is back at No. 1. The two-time defending champions opened the season at No. 4, the only time they’ve been ranked anywhere but No. 1. The Cardinals earned the voters’ respect after a third-place finish as the only JUCO program of any level at the H.W. Wright Invitational. Freshman Kyle Vinyard, who earned National Athlete of the Week honors last week after the September 24 race, is the top runner for MAC.
Remaining at No. 2 is College of DuPage (Ill.), which finished ahead of former No. 1 Joliet (Ill.) JC by six points at the Heartland Invitational.
The Wolvers are No. 3 after its close loss to DuPage at the Heartland meet. JJC was led by current National Athlete of the Week Hunter Phillips, a freshman who was the top NJCAA DIII runner in the meet by over a minute.
The biggest mover in the poll is Bergen (N.J.) CC, now No. 4 after receiving votes in the 12th position. The Bulldogs were 12th among 27 mostly non-JUCO teams in the NJIT Highlander Challenge.
No. 5 is Jersey rival Brookdale (N.J.) CC, up from No. 9 last week. The Jersey Blues finished 9th in the NJIT Highlander Invitational.
Completing the top-10 are No. 6 Oxford (Ga.), No. 7 Georgia Military, No. 8 SUNY Broome CC, No. 9 St. Charles (Mo.) CC and No. 10 Hudson Valley (N.Y.) CC.
