2021 NJCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Ranking – Week 3
NEW ORLEANS – Another round of changing positions was in order for the Week 3 NJCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
However, No. 1 Mineral Area (Mo.) CC was one of two teams that didn’t find a new ranking.
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
Joliet (Ill.) JC
Joliet (Ill.) JC
3
DuPage (Ill.)
DuPage (Ill.)
4
Hudson Valley (N.Y.) CC
Hudson Valley (N.Y.) CC
5
Bergen (N.J.) CC
Bergen (N.J.) CC
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Mineral Area (Mo.) CC, the two-time defending NJCAA Division III champions, continues to lead the poll. The Cardinals’ most recent competition was a third-place finish at the Greenville Classic, just one spot behind NJCAA Division II No. 4-ranked Heartland (Ill.) CC. Kyle Vinyard remains Mineral Area’s top runner, earning a second National Athlete of the Week award after finishing as the top JUCO runner from any division in the Greenville Classic with a third-place effort.
Joliet (Ill.) JC, a former No. 1 earlier this year, moved up one spot to No. 2 after finishing just behind Mineral Area at the Greenville Classic. Hunter Phillips led the Wolves with a fifth-place finish individually.
Moving down a notch to No. 3 is College of DuPage (Ill.), which owns a head-to-head victory over Joliet earlier this year. The Chaps finished as the top JUCO Division III program in the White Race at the Bradley Pink Classic.
The biggest mover this week is Hudson Valley (N.Y.) CC at No. 4. The Vikings earned the pollsters’ attention as the top JUCO squad in the James Earley Invitational’s White Race a week after taking runner-up honors among five NJCAA Division III programs in the Cazenovia Homecoming Invitational.
Bergen (N.J.) CC is now No. 5, down one position. The Bulldogs finished as the top NJCAA Division III team in a pair of races at St. Joseph’s College.
Rounding out the top-10 are No. 6 SUNY Broome CC, No. 7 Harper (Ill.), No. 8 Brookdale (N.J.) CC, No. 9 St. Charles (Mo.) CC and No. 10 Oxford (Ga.).
