2025 NJCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Ranking – Week 4
NEW ORLEANS – There were six changes in the Week 4 edition of the 2025 NJCAA Division III Men’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 2025 NJCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, which will be held at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on Saturday, November 8.
National Coaches’ Rankings are presented by AthleticNET.
NJCAA Division III — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Harper (Ill.)
Harper (Ill.)
2
DuPage (Ill.)
DuPage (Ill.)
3
Joliet (Ill.) JC
Joliet (Ill.) JC
4
Mineral Area (Mo.)
Mineral Area (Mo.)
5
Thaddeus Stevens (Pa.)
Thaddeus Stevens (Pa.)
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
None of the changes affected the top-3 programs – Harper (Ill.), DuPage (Ill.) and Joliet (Ill.) JC, who have occupied those positions in some order all season long and have combined to win the last four national team crowns. Last weekend, those three met as a trio for the first time this year at the Region 4 Championships.
No. 1 Harper (Ill.) – seeking its first national title since 2023 after a runner-up finish last year – won the regional title with 32 points and continues as No. 1 for a fourth-straight ranking. The Hawks were led by the 2-3 finish of Ryan Golden and Sebastian Welc – both M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week earlier this season.
Indicative of the closeness among the next two teams, defending national champion DuPage (Ill.) remains No. 2 despite finishing behind No. 3 Joliet (Ill.) JC by six points (42-48) at the Region 4 Championships. Joliet’s Nathan Ciarlette continued his undefeated season against JUCO DIII competition with the individual title and the Wolves also had Gavin Carlson in fourth place before the Chaps’ top runner, Adriano Quintero.
Moving up a spot to a season-high No. 4 is Mineral Area (Mo.), which won the nationals the last time they were held in Fort Dodge in 2020. The Cardinals were led by the 2-3 finish of Garrett Shortt and Lucas Campbell to win the Region 16 title over Jefferson (Mo.), 23-36, with the latter reaching a program-high No. 8 in the rankings.
Thaddeus Stevens (Pa.) dropped to No. 5 despite winning the Region 19 title behind the 1-2 finish of Tristan Weaver and Wyatt Torrison. The Bulldogs’ highest finish at the NJCAA DIII nationals is eighth in 2018.
Completing the top-10 are No. 6 Kellogg (Mich.) CC, No. 7 Lorain County (Ohio) CC, No. 8 Jefferson, No. 9 Hudson Valley (N.Y.) CC and No. 10 Brookdale (N.J.) CC.
