2023 NJCAA DI Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Preseason
NEW ORLEANS – That didn’t take long.
Salt Lake (Utah) CC is No. 1 in the Preseason NJCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – in just the Bruins second year as a program. The poll was released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) following a vote by NJCAA coaches.
Salt Lake outpointed last year’s runner-up, New Mexico JC, and two-time defending champion College of Southern Idaho for the poll’s top spot. The 2023 NJCAA Division I Cross Country Championships will be held on Saturday, November 11, at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama.
NJCAA Division I — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Salt Lake (Utah) CC
Salt Lake (Utah) CC
2
New Mexico JC
New Mexico JC
3
Southern Idaho
Southern Idaho
4
Iowa Western CC
Iowa Western CC
5
Hutchinson (Kan.) CC
Hutchinson (Kan.) CC
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
A lot of what Salt Lake does is a “first-ever” – that includes earning six first-place votes (their first ever such votes). Last year, the Bruins’ all-freshmen team reached a program-high of No. 4 in the rankings before finishing third in the NJCAA nationals. Led by 13th-place finisher Grace Tipton, Salt Lake returns five members of that squad, including two other top-20 finishers in Molly Jensen (18th) and Zaylie Paras (19th).
New Mexico JC garnered the other two first-place votes in reaching the No. 2 position. The T-Birds return three runners from last year and are led by Damaris Chewon, who was third last fall and won the NJCAA Indoor 5000 in March.
After two-straight titles – and being ranked No. 1 all of last year – Southern Idaho is No. 3 in this year’s preseason poll. The Golden Eagles had a sophomore-loaded squad last year and return three runners, led by 10th-placer Elizabeth Phillips.
Iowa Western CC is No. 4, which is the Reivers’ highest ranking since being No. 2 in Week 5 of 2021. Reese Johnson leads two back from last year’s 10th-place team.
No. 5 Hutchinson (Kan.) CC returns to the top-5 after finishing fourth last year. The Blue Dragons return four runners from that group, including a top-3 led by 12th-placer Serenity Lawson.
Rounding out the top-10: No. 6 Butler (Kan.) CC, No. 7 El Paso (Texas) CC, No. 8 Cloud County (Kan.) CC, No. 9 Iowa Central CC and No. 10 Dodge City (Kan.) CC.
