2024 NJCAA DII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 2
NEW ORLEANS – A program familiar with a No. 1 ranking is back on top in the Week 2 edition of the 2024 NJCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, which was released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
National Coaches’ Polls are presented by AthleticNET.
NJCAA Division II — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
2
Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC
Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC
3
Lansing (Mich.) CC
Lansing (Mich.) CC
4
Daytona State (Fla.)
Daytona State (Fla.)
5
Wallace State-Hanceville (Ala.) CC
Wallace State-Hanceville (Ala.) CC
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Arizona grabs plenty of the attention with rivals Mesa (Ariz.) CC and Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC polling 1-2 after splitting battles the last two weeks.
Mesa is back to its preseason perch at No. 1 for the fourth time in program history. The Thunderbirds earned eight first-place votes to rise from No. 3 and were the top JUCO program at the UC Riverside Invitational two weeks ago before falling last weekend by three points to PVCC at the Arizona CCAC Championships. Jorge Trujillo was Mesa’s top runner at Riverside, while Nick Valle took team honors at ACCAC.
Paradise Valley earned three first-place votes and was the biggest mover in the entire poll, climbing 11 spots to No. 2. Jackson Bland has led the way, earning M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week honors for a runner-up finish at the UC Riverside Invitational before leading a 1-2 Puma finish with Nick Valle in winning the ACCAC Championships.
Rising to No. 3 is defending champion Lansing (Mich.) CC in receiving the lone other first-place vote. Jesse Carson and Nate Carmody went 1-2 in leading the Stars to victory in its own Lansing Invitational with 26 points, with freshmen scoring all of the points.
Previous No. 1 Daytona State (Fla.) drops the three places to No. 4. The Falcons haven’t raced since the last poll, with last weekend’s meet at Florida State canceled due to Hurricane Helene.
Wallace State (Ala.) CC is No. 5 after being No. 2 in the last poll. The Lions were the top JUCO team in both the Firehawk Invitational and Topper Trails Classic with Luke Kennedy earning team honors both times with ninth-place finishes
Completing the top-10 teams are No. 6 Des Moines Area (Iowa) CC, No. 7 Cowley (Kan.), No. 8 Bismarck State (N.D.), No. 9 NorthWest Arkansas CC and No. 10 Southeastern (Iowa) CC.
The season culminates on Saturday, November 9, when the 2024 NJCAA Division II Cross Country Championships will be held at Pole Green Park near Richmond, Virginia.
