2024 NJCAA DII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 4
NEW ORLEANS – Des Moines Area (Iowa) CC is No. 1 for the first time in program history in the final edition of the 2024 NJCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, which was released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Three other teams received first-place votes as four of the top-5 shuffled positions in the rankings, adding to the anticipation for an exciting 2024 NJCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, to be held in 10 days on Saturday, November 9, at Pole Green Park near Richmond, Virginia.
National Coaches’ Polls are presented by AthleticNET.
NJCAA Division II — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Des Moines Area (Iowa) CC
Des Moines Area (Iowa) CC
2
Lansing (Mich.) CC
Lansing (Mich.) CC
3
Wallace State-Hanceville (Ala.) CC
Wallace State-Hanceville (Ala.) CC
4
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
5
Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC
Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Des Moines Area has been on a big roll this year, setting program bests in the poll at No. 7 (preseason), No. 6 (Week 2) and No. 5 (Week 3) before their big leap to No. 1. The Bears received nine of the 12 first-place votes after racking up a perfect score of 15 points in winning the Region 11 Championships. Eli Page led the DMACC’s onslaught as they claimed the top-7 places (albeit seventh was a tie). The highest the Bears have finished at the NJCAA DII Cross Country Championships is 11th last year.
Defending champ Lansing (Mich.) CC remains No. 2 in earning one first-place vote. The Stars easily won the Region 12 Championships with 21 points, led by then freshmen 1-2 of Ben March and Lucas Hopkins. March is the fourth Lansing runner to earn team honors this year along with Logan Zahn (twice), Jesse Carson (twice) and Nate Carmody (once), who are all also freshmen.
Wallace State (Ala.) CC moved up a spot to No. 3, which is its highest since being No. 2 in Week 1. The Lions were near-perfect in winning the Region 22 Championships with 16 points as Luke Kennedy led the team for the fifth-straight race. Wallace State’s best nationals finish is fifth from last year.
Previous No. 1 Mesa (Ariz.) CC drops to No. 4 while still receiving one first-place vote. The Thunderbirds were runner-up in the Region 1 Championships, led by Nick Valle for the fourth time this year. Mesa’s best finish at the nationals is fourth in 2022 and 2021.
Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC fell two positions to No. 5 and also received a first-place vote. The Pumas – national champions in 2022 – won the Region 1 Championships as Jackson Bland and Jaxon Zimmerman finished 1-2 individually.
Completing the top-10 teams are No. 6 Daytona State (Fla.), No. 7 Cowley (Kan.), No. 8 NorthWest Arkansas CC, No. 9 Macomb (Mich.) CC, and No. 10 Southeastern (Iowa) CC. The No. 9 Monarchs were the week’s biggest mover, rising 11 places for a new program-best ranking.
