2024 NJCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Ranking – Preseason
NEW ORLEANS – Harper (Ill.) starts off the year where they finished last year to lead the preseason edition of the 2024 NJCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Ranking, released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
The 2024 NJCAA Division III Cross Country Championships are set to take place at Pole Green Park in Richmond, Virginia on Saturday, November 9.
National Coaches’ Rankings are presented by AthleticNET.
NJCAA Division III — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Harper (Ill.)
Harper (Ill.)
2
DuPage (Ill.)
DuPage (Ill.)
3
Joliet (Ill.) JC
Joliet (Ill.) JC
4
Kellogg (Mich.) CC
Kellogg (Mich.) CC
5
Mineral Area (Mo.)
Mineral Area (Mo.)
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
As usual, Region 4 is prominent, this year claiming the top-3 spots with the last three national champions.
Harper’s national title last year was its first since 2018, when the Hawks completed an eight-year sweep of crowns. Four runners return from last year’s team, led by seventh-placer Owen Whelan.
No. 2 DuPage (Ill.) was runner-up last year after winning the 2022 title. The Chaps return five from that squad including three of their top-4 led by returning national runner-up Kevin Diederich.
No. 3 Joliet (Ill.) JC – the 2021 national champion – was fourth last year. The Wolves return four from last year’s team; three of those returners were members of the NJCAA DIII Outdoor 4×800 squad last year.
Kellogg (Mich.) CC is No. 4, a program-high. The Bruins return two runners from last year’s seventh-place team, led by 39th-placer Alex Steward.
Mineral Area (Mo.) is No. 5. The Cardinals were third last year, a fifth-straight time in the top-3, but no returners this year.
Completing the top-10 are No. 6 Brookdale (N.J.) CC, No. 7 Lorain County (Ohio) CC, No. 8 Mohawk Valley (N.Y.) CC, No. 9 Herkimer County (N.Y.) CC and No. 10 East Central (Miss.) CC.
