2025 NJCAA DIII Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Ranking – Week 3
NEW ORLEANS – Only one change can be found among the top-5 in the Week 3 edition of the 2025 NJCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Ranking, released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
The 2025 NJCAA Division III Cross Country Championships are set to take place at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on Saturday, November 8.
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
Kellogg (Mich.) CC
Kellogg (Mich.) CC
3
DuPage (Ill.)
DuPage (Ill.)
4
Joliet (Ill.) JC
Joliet (Ill.) JC
5
Jefferson (Mo.)
Jefferson (Mo.)
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Mineral Area (Mo.) continues at No. 1 to be the first repeater of the year atop this ranking. The defending national champs were led by Clay Whittenburg at the Principia Twilight in moving ahead of fellow freshman Emily Marriott 3-2 head-to-head this season for team honors. Whittenburg’s latest effort matched Marriott in being named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week.
No. 2 Kellogg (Mich.) CC was the leading NJCAA DIII team at the Muskegon Jayhawk Invitational, with freshman Alicyn Gleesing leading as the top JUCO DIII athlete.
DuPage (Ill.) jumped ahead of Joliet (Ill.) JC for the Nos. 3 and 4 positions, and the rivals are hard to separate. The Chaps finished five points ahead at the Seminole Valley Stampede while competing among four-year programs, and in head-to-head scoring the Wolves had a 27-28 advantage. Joliet’s Gabriela Zid led all NJCAA athletes in the race in earning M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week honors, while DuPage’s Jessica Balmer was second among JUCO runners.
No. 5 for the third ranking in a row is preseason No. 1 Jefferson (Mo.). The Vikings once again competed above their division in the Silver race at the Louisville Classic, finishing as the top NJCAA DIII program with Sophia Mullins leading as the top such individual.
Completing the top-10 are No. 6 Hudson Valley (N.Y.) CC, No. 7 Georgia Military, No. 8 FIT (N.Y.), No. 9 Bergen (N.J.) CC and No. 10 SUNY Erie.
