2023 NJCAA DI Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 1
NEW ORLEANS – New poll, new first-time No. 1.
That’s the result of Week 1 voting in NJCAA Division I Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll as Trinidad State (Colo.) ascended to the very top, supplanting preseason No. 1 Colby (Kan.) CC. The new poll was released on 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
Trinidad State (Colo.)
Trinidad State (Colo.)
2
Colby (Kan.) CC
Colby (Kan.) CC
3
New Mexico JC
New Mexico JC
4
Iowa Western CC
Iowa Western CC
4
Salt Lake (Utah) CC
Salt Lake (Utah) CC
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Trinidad State (Colo.) earned six of the eight first-place votes in reaching the overall top rung; their previous high in the rankings was No. 3, which it registered first in Week 1 last year and matched in this year’s preseason poll. The Trojans – who return four of five scorers from last year’s national sixth-place team – are led by Kidus Misgina, who was individual runner-up at the Joe I. Vigil Open. Misgina was 23rd in last year’s NJCAA Division I Championships as Cloud County (Kan.) CC’s top runner.
Another set of Trojans – those from Colby (Kan.) CC – received two first-place votes and are now No. 2. The defending national champions were the leading JUCO team in finishing 10th at the Woody Greeno/Jay Dirksen Invitational, led by individual champ and M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week Kgadi Monyebodi, who covered the 8K course in 23:31.7. Freshman teammate Aziz Jdai wasn’t too far behind in sixth (24:05.3).
New Mexico JC is No. 3, also dropping down a notch. The T-Birds were runner-up in the Texas Tech Open, led by brothers Tomas and German Vega, who finished third and fourth, respectively. Tomas is now 2-1 over German in head-to-head racing this season.
Tying for No. 4 are Iowa Western CC and Salt Lake (Utah) CC. The Reivers were the leading JUCO squad in 15th at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational, while the Bruins were runner-up at the BYU Alumni Classic. For Salt Lake – who have used two completely different sets of scorers in its two meets thus far – it is a program best, improving on their No. 5 from the preseason rankings.
Completing the top-10 are No. 6 Northwest Kansas Tech, No. 7 Iowa Central CC, No. 8 Indian Hills (Iowa) CC, No. 9 Central Arizona and No. 10 College of Southern Idaho.
The season culminates on Saturday, November 11, when the 2023 NJCAA Division I Cross Country Championships will be held at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama.
