2025 NJCAA DI Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Preseason

NEW ORLEANS – Two “new” names appear at the top of the preseason 2025 NJCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, which was released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Those two programs – Odessa (Texas) and Iowa Western CC – combined to receive all of the first-place votes and are the frontrunners to win the team title at the 2025 NJCAA Division I Cross Country Championships scheduled for Saturday, November 8 at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Missing among the leaders is Salt Lake (Utah) CC, champions the last two years.

National Coaches’ Polls are presented by AthleticNET.

NJCAA Division I — Women's Cross Country

This Week's National Top Five

1
Odessa (Texas)

2
Iowa Western CC

3
New Mexico JC

4
Southern Idaho

5
Crowder (Mo.)

Cross Country Polls & Rankings

NATIONAL POLL

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Odessa (Texas) claimed eight first-place votes to rate No. 1, a dramatic rise from finishing eighth last year in its first nationals appearance since 2011. Such is the respect the Wranglers received even after losing national individual champion Elizabeth Ilanda. Kaydeen Johnson (9^th) leads a group of four returners that will be joined by track star Millicent Wafula, the NJCAA DI Outdoor 800 champ last year who was also runner-up in the 1500 and 5000.

No. 2 Iowa Western CC, which earned two first-place votes, wasn’t in last year’s national championships. But the Reivers have often been near the top of the national poll and final team standings – as high as No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in 2023. The squad has a “newcomer” in Juliana Sakat, who arrived on campus after last year’s cross country season but in track & field earlier this year contributed 42½ team points at the NJCAA Indoor Championships and 31½ points at the NJCAA DI Outdoor Championships, winning all seven individual events she entered. The Reivers have three other “newcomers” on the roster who earned All-American honors in track after arriving in January.

No. 3 New Mexico JC returns four from last year’s third-place team and added transfer Yiddiya Bifa, who was third individually last year for Iowa Central CC. The T-Birds, who have finished top-4 in each of the last four years, have two top-20 returners in Amal Kachouri (10^th) and Ines Mrabet (17^th).

No. 4 Southern Idaho was fourth the last two years after topping the podium the two years before. The Golden Eagles return three from last year, led by Sage Lyon (26^th) and Laurie Davidson (29^th) and added a promising group of transfers and freshmen.

Crowder (Mo.) is No. 5 after finishing fifth last year. The Roughriders lost their top-3 but are looking to rebuild with freshman to meld with top returner Mercy Kibuiguit (45^th).

Completing the top-10: No. 6 Ranger (Texas), No. 7 Garden City (Kan.) CC, No. 8 Butler (Kan.) CC, No. 9 Iowa Central CC and No. 10 Snow (Utah).