2022 NJCAA DII Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 4
NEW ORLEANS – All but three positions – the top three – saw change in the Week 4 edition of the NJCAA Division II Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, which was released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
NJCAA Division II — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Lansing (Mich.) CC
Lansing (Mich.) CC
2
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
3
Heartland (Ill.) CC
Heartland (Ill.) CC
4
Cowley (Kan.)
Cowley (Kan.)
5
Coconino (Ariz.) CC
Coconino (Ariz.) CC
5
Grand Rapids (Mich.) CC
Grand Rapids (Mich.) CC
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
This is the final set of rankings before the 2022 NJCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, which are set for Saturday, November 12 at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida.
Lansing (Mich.) CC is a unanimous No. 1 for the first time this year. The Stars were easy winners with a near-perfect score of 17 points in the strong Region XII Championships, which included six ranked programs, the most of any region. Olivia Vanderwey earned the individual victory. Lansing – reigning national champions – will be seeking a sixth DII team title (the Stars can also add two DI crowns).
Mesa (Ariz.) CC remains No. 2. The Thunderbirds, who were No. 1 earlier this year, won the Region I Championships with 20 points over Coconino (Ariz.) CC, now tied for No. 5. Kate Brockman – runner-up individually last year – led a 2-3-4-5-6 Mesa fivesome at the region meet. The Thunderbirds will be seeking their first-ever team title; they were third last year.
Continuing at No. 3 for the third poll in a row is Heartland (Ill.) CC. Led by individual champ Taylor Joop, the Hawks won the Region XXIV Championships with a perfect-15 score. Heartland will be looking for its first-ever national team crown after being runner-up the last two years.
Climbing up four spots to No. 4 is Cowley (Kan.). The Tigers were the top Division II team in the Region VI Championships, finishing fourth and beating five ranked DI programs. Cowley last won the DII national title in 2020 after winning the DI meet in 2010.
Coconino zoomed up six places to tie Grand Rapids (Mich.) CC for No. 5. It’s a program-high for Coconino, who were led by individual winner – and current M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week – Hayley Burns in taking second as a team to Mesa in the Region I Championships. Grand Rapids was runner-up to Lansing in the Region XII Championships. Both Coconino and Grand Rapids will be seeking a first-ever national team title.
Rounding out the top-10: No. 7 Wallace State (Ala.) CC, No. 8 Pasco-Hernando State (Fla.), No. 9 Southeastern (Iowa) CC and No. 10 Daytona State (Fla.).
