

2025 NJCAA DII Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Preseason
NEW ORLEANS – Mesa (Ariz.) CC is a unanimous selection as No. 1 in the preseason edition of the 2025 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).
The 2025 NJCAA Division II Cross Country Championships are set to take place at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on Saturday, November 8.
National Coaches’ Polls are presented by AthleticNET.
NJCAA Division II — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five





Mesa (Ariz.) CC
Wallace State-Hanceville (Ala.) CC
Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC
Muskegon (Mich.) CC
Cowley (Kan.)
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
No. 1 Mesa returns four from last year’s championship team – three of those were scorers who finished in the top-15 in Kinsley Jackson (sixth), Katie Munoz (13th) and Marissa Hernandez (15th). Incoming freshmen include Olivia Baker, who led the squad at last weekend’s Mesa Early Bird Open.
Wallace State (Ala.) CC is No. 2, equaling its best-ever ranking. The Lions were fourth last year and return two of their top-3 in Reagan Paris (29th) and Grace Gosline (41st).
No. 3 Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC was runner-up last year after a third-place finish in ’23. The Pumas have once scorer returning in Laynee Hollech (seventh).
Muskegon (Mich.) CC is No. 4 with their first top-10 appearance since 2020. The Jayhawks were 19th in last year’s nationals and return their top-3 plus add transfer Tatum Dykstra, who was the No. 3 runner on SCAD Atlanta’s NAIA 17th-place squad last year.
No. 5 Cowley (Kan.) was eighth last year after winning the 2023 title. The Tigers return just one scorer from last year in Pauline Althoff but are excited about a large group of middle-distance athletes running cross country for the first time.
Rounding out the top-10: No. 6 Daytona State (Fla.), No. 7 Des Moines Area (Iowa) CC, No. 8 Lansing (Mich.) CC, No. 9 Coconino (Ariz.) CC and No. 10 NorthWest Arkansas CC.