2021 NJCAA DII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 5
NEW ORLEANS – All but three positions have new owners in the Pre-Championships edition of the NJCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, which was released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Cowley (Kan.) leads the repeaters, topping the rankings for the fourth week in a row, as action moves next to the 2021 NJCAA Division II Cross Country Championships on 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
Daytona State (Fla.)
Daytona State (Fla.)
3
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
4
Lansing (Mich.) CC
Lansing (Mich.) CC
5
Heartland (Ill.) CC
Heartland (Ill.) CC
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Cowley (Kan.) gained huge respect at the Region VI Championships, which was scored separately as Division I and Division II. It was also scored combined as the Kansas Jayhawk Conference Championships, in which the Tigers finished second, beating two programs ranked in the national DI top-5. Adrian Diaz-Lopez and Amos Pkiach – 2-3 in last year’s NJCAA Division II Championships – provided the leading firepower for Cowley.
Daytona State (Fla.) CC returns to No. 2, matching the program-high from Week 1. The Falcons won the Region VIII Championships over three other ranked teams as Andy Martinez took the individual title by 31 seconds.
Mesa (Ariz.) CC is No. 3 and received a first-place vote. The Thunderbirds were runner-up by one point at the Region I Championships. Mesa’s Yotuel Garcia won the individual race by 15 seconds.
Moving up to No. 4 is Lansing (Mich.) CC, which won the Region XII Championships decisively over five other ranked teams, including two in the top-10. Erik Reiber led the Stars with a third-place finish.
Heartland (Ill.) CC drops to No. 5. The Hawks scored a perfect 15 in winning the Region XXIV Championships with Noah Penry leading the way individually.
Rounding out the top-10 are No. 6 Paradise Valley (Ariz.), No. 7 Carl Sandburg (Ill.), No. 8 North Iowa Area CC, No. 9 Grand Rapids (Mich.) CC and No. 10 St. Clair County (Mich.) CC. North Iowa Area CC is the defending NJCAA Division II team champion and feature reigning individual champ Melvin Kipkemboi.
