2023 NJCAA DII Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 3
NEW ORLEANS – What was unanimous is now anyone’s guess as three programs vie for the top in the latest 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).
Settling time approaches as we’re just over three weeks away from the 2023 NJCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, which will be held on Saturday, November 11, at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama.
NJCAA Division II — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC
Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC
2
Heartland (Ill.) CC
Heartland (Ill.) CC
3
Cowley (Kan.)
Cowley (Kan.)
4
Wallace State-Hanceville (Ala.) CC
Wallace State-Hanceville (Ala.) CC
5
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC is No. 1 with a majority of the first-place votes for a third-straight poll (seven of a possible 12 this time). The Pumas ventured to Wisconsin and finished fourth among 19 four-year programs at the Jim Drews/Tori Neubauer Invitational – a field that included two NCAA DIII ranked teams. Jazmin Estrada regained team No. 1 honors after a same-time loss to teammate Keira Damron at the Arizona CC Championships two weeks earlier.
Gaining steam at No. 2 is Heartland (Ill.) CC, which earned four first-place votes. The Hawks won the Greenville Classic with just 22 points behind the 1-2 finish of Nora Brady and Addysen Clark.
No. 3 Cowley (Kan.) snagged a first-place vote for the first time since the Preseason poll, when they rated No. 1. The Tigers won the Firestarter Classic, which doubled as the Region VI preview meet, over three teams ranked in the NJCAA DI top-10. Leticia Belo finished third as two teammates followed in the top-7.
Only one point separated Mesa (Ariz.) CC and Wallace State (Ala.) CC for the No. 4 position last week. Now it’s two points, with Wallace State moving up one rung. The Lions haven’t competed since the UAH Chargers Invitational – held at the site of the upcoming NJCAA Championships – and only Heartland finished ahead among eight JUCO programs.
Now No. 5, Mesa – last year’s national runner-up – did not have a scoring squad in their only meet since the last poll, at the UC Riverside Highlander Invitational.
Rounding out top-10 teams are No. 6 Southeastern (Iowa) CC (just one point away from No. 5), No. 7 Des Moines Area (Iowa) CC, No. 8 Daytona State (Fla.), No. 9 St. Clair County (Mich.) CC and No. 10 Pasco-Hernando (Fla.).
