2024 NJCAA DIII Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Ranking – Week 4
NEW ORLEANS – Two changes among the top-3 highlight the Week 4 edition of the 2024 NJCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Ranking, released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
This is the final set of rankings before the 2024 NJCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, which will be held on Saturday, November 9, at Pole Green Park near Richmond, Virginia.
National Coaches’ Rankings are presented by AthleticNET.
NJCAA Division III — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Mineral Area (Mo.)
Mineral Area (Mo.)
2
Harper (Ill.)
Harper (Ill.)
3
Jefferson (Mo.)
Jefferson (Mo.)
4
DuPage (Ill.)
DuPage (Ill.)
5
Joliet (Ill.) JC
Joliet (Ill.) JC
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Mineral Area (Mo.) is No. 1 for the fourth-straight poll and hopes to improve on their best-ever finish at the NJCAA DIII Cross Championships – in 2022, when they were runner-up, just one point out of first. Alyson Skiles has become the Cardinals’ leading runner, including taking fifth place as the top NJCAA DIII athlete in the Region 16 Championships.
Rising to No. 2 is two-time defending champion Harper (Ill.). The Hawks placed all five scorers in the top-9 in the powerful Region 4 Championships, led by individual champ Isabella Wojciechowski. Harper’s No. 2 runner is Isabella’s twin sister, Claudia, who is the lone returning scorer from last year’s title team.
Jefferson (Mo.) drops to No. 3. The Vikings – runner-up last year in the program’s first year – have two top-15 returners from that squad in Lauren Hartman and Reagan Edwards, who have both had team honors this year. Jefferson was the second DIII team behind Mineral Area in the Region 16 Championships.
No. 4 is DuPage (Ill.), which was runner-up in the Region 4 Championships. The Chaps – whose best-ever finish at the DIII nationals is third in 2021 – are led by Carmen Solis, who finished third in last year’s nationals.
Joliet (Ill.) JC has been No. 5 all season. The Wolves – third in stellar Region 4 Championships – were national champions in 2020 and are led by Gabriela Zid.
Rounding out the top-10 teams are No. 6 Kellogg (Mich.) CC, No. 7 Oxford (Ga.), No. 8 Georgia Military, No. 9 Suffolk County (N.Y.) CC) and No. 10 FIT (N.Y.). Two other individuals to keep an eye on are returning runner-up Lauren Keene of Southern Virginia CC and Lorain County (Ohio) CC’s Madison Palmer, who was fifth last year.
