2022 NJCAA DI Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 4
NEW ORLEANS – While change was almost everywhere, the very top remained the same in the Week 4 NJCAA Division I Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, which was released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
NJCAA Division I — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Colby (Kan.) CC
Colby (Kan.) CC
2
Iowa Central CC
Iowa Central CC
3
El Paso (Texas) CC
El Paso (Texas) CC
4
New Mexico JC
New Mexico JC
5
Fort Hays Tech Northwest (Kan.)
Fort Hays Tech Northwest (Kan.)
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
This is the final set of rankings before the 2022 NJCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, which are set for Saturday, November 12 at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida.
Colby (Kan.) CC continues at No. 1, collecting every first-place vote for the fourth-straight time. Led by undefeated Sanele Masondo, the Trojans soundly won the Region VI Championships with 23 points, 42 points better than their closest pursuer. There are seven squads from the Kansas region in the rankings – tied for most of any region. Colby CC – third last year – is looking to win its first national title in program history.
Remaining No. 2 is two-time defending champion Iowa Central CC, victors of the Region XI Championships with a near-perfect score of 17 points. The Tritons may have found a new No. 1 runner in Yared Kidane, who won the individual title by nine seconds over teammate Aspel Kiprob, last year’s runner-up in the national championships. Iowa Central is seeking a third-straight national team title.
Positions No. 3 and No. 4 flip-flopped ever so slightly between rivals El Paso (Texas) CC and New Mexico JC. Just one point separates them in poll after El Paso’s tight 37-39 victory over New Mexico in the Region V Championships, another region with seven entrants in the rankings. Adams Biwott and David Israel went 1-2 individually, giving the Tejanos an edge over the T-Birds, whose brother duo of Tomas and German Vega followed in 3-4. El Paso will be going after its first-ever men’s title, while New Mexico won in 1979 when the NJCAA Championships were a single division.
Repeating at No. 5 is Northwest Kansas Tech. The Mavericks were runner-up in the strong Region VI Championships with 65 points. NW Kansas Tech – fifth in last year’s nationals – will be seeking a first-ever team title.
Completing the top-10 are No. 6 Central Arizona, No. 7 Salt Lake (Utah) CC, No. 8 College of Southern Idaho, No. 9 Butler (Kan.) CC and No. 10 Trinidad State (Colo.).
Top athletes and teams take the course at Apalachee Regional Park at 11 am ET next Saturday.
