2023 NJCAA DII Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 4
NEW ORLEANS – A season-high four programs earned first-place votes 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).
This is the final poll of the year before 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
Cowley (Kan.)
Cowley (Kan.)
2
Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC
Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC
3
Heartland (Ill.) CC
Heartland (Ill.) CC
4
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
5
Wallace State-Hanceville (Ala.) CC
Wallace State-Hanceville (Ala.) CC
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Ascending to No. 1 for the first time since the Preseason poll is Cowley (Kan.), garnering eight of a possible 12 first-place votes. The Tigers were the leading DII squad in the Region 6 Championships – no small feat when competing against five top-9 DI teams. Cowley was led by DII champ Dhennifer Vaz, who was fourth overall. Cowley won the DII national crown in 2020, which added to a DI title in 2010.
Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC drops to No. 2 after three-straight polls at No. 1. The Pumas earned two first-place votes after a hard-fought Region 1 title by one point over rival Mesa (Ariz.), 27-28. Jazmin Estrada led PVCC individually as runner-up overall, including DI teams. The Pumas won the DII national title four times from 1997-2003, but their most recent crown came in 2004 with the DI title.
Dropping a notch to No. 3 is Heartland (Ill.) CC after two-straight polls at No. 2. The Hawks earned one first-place vote after registering a perfect 15 score to secure the Region 24 Championships, led by winner Addysen Clark. Heartland was third in last year’s national meet after two-straight runner-up finishes, which is their best-ever.
Up one spot to No. 4 is Mesa (Ariz.) CC, collecting a first-place vote for the first time since Week 1, when they were ranked No. 2. Although the Thunderbirds lost to Paradise Valley by one point at the Region 1 Championships, they were led by the individual winner in Carmella Baldwin. Mesa’s highest national finish is runner-up, which came last year when they lost by one point to Lansing (Mich.) CC.
Wallace State (Ala.) CC drops one rung to No. 5. The all-freshman Lions scored 20 points to win the Region 22 Championships, led by the 1-2 finish of Rudi Derrick and Abigale Vega. Wallace State’s best national finish is fifth, achieved in each of the last two years.
Completing the top-10 teams are No. 6 Daytona State (Fla.), No. 7 Southeastern (Iowa) CC, No. 8 Des Moines Area (Iowa) CC, No. 9 St. Clair County (Mich.) CC and No. 10 Pasco-Hernando (Fla.).
